Going Wrong in the Right Way
by Lili202122
Summary: "I didn't need someone to put me back together again. I had my grandmother, college, friends...what made me feel whole was keeping him close to me." HieiOC, KuramaxOCxJin in later chapters. Darker themes, cursing, mild sexual situations, human trafficking, and mild drug/alcohol abuse. Rating MAY go up.
1. Not Meant to Be

Going Wrong in the Right way

Chapter 1: Not Meant to Be

* * *

"Turn right…or is that turn left? Goddamn Japanese with everything being backwards…"

Standing off to the side a narrow country road wasn't exactly the way I planned on spending my Saturday morning. And being American born and raised wasn't helping my trying to interpret the rough directions the store owner in the next town over had given me. He made his kanji and katakana as nice as possible, but it took me nearly a half hour to translate it so I could understand it. And with most things being backwards in their language or just flat out in the middle going outwards, it took me forever.

Sitting on a small tree trunk by the side of the road, I was staring so hard at the paper I thought it may combust. A small beeping noise made me groan a little, my right hear softly chirping as I pulled the damned thing from my ear and opened up the tiny compartment. Dammit. The battery was almost dead. One of the things I needed most to survive any where with people was about to die on me. My hearing aide.

Did I mention I'm partially deaf?

Among a few other things…but that's not important…

"This is definitely turn right. About…hmmm…kyuu is 9 so…wait, never mind, that's one of the later directions. Or is that the number on the receipt?" Sighing, I stuffed it in my pocket, about fed up with my utter stupidity when it came to reading Japanese. I could speak it well enough, but reading it was a whole different story. Adjusting my large hiking backpack on my back, I continued walking, nothing but the sound of nature and my iPod permeating the quiet.

I had spent all of my college savings for the plane ticket to come here, as well at the universal laptop in my pack which could pick up wireless anywhere in the world with a view of the clear blue sky. Underneath that some where near the bottom of my pack was my wallet, which held my ID, and my debit card. I had roughly sixty grand to my name. That was it.

No family. They recently disowned me. Very little friends I considered to be especially close…

Right now, I was a stranger in a strange land and getting to this farkin' temple as fast as I could. I was 18 and still clueless about the rest of the world. My parents think I'm a disillusioned, klutzy little drama queen with no sense of direction in my life. My friends put me up on a pedestal, thinking I'm so great and kind and loyal and just…well, amazing.

I didn't believe either of them.

And with that thought, the temple steps were looming up to my right, climbing high up towards the sky. The dense overhead canopy (which made things fairly dark) kept me from seeing just how high up the steps went, but I had the feeling I would be soon regretting my decision to pack so much of my crap. I'm a materialistic person, what can I say. My possessions mean a lot to me.

Step by step I began to climb. It was hard at first because I was trying not to teeter totter over with my big backpack, but after a few moments I got into a rhythm and things got easier. Breaking Benjamin blared through my little earbuds, and would've seriously damaged my eardrums if they weren't already beyond repair.

As I walked, I pondered on the events that lead me to make this long pilgrimage over thousands of miles and through many hours of plane, bus, taxi and (on two occasions quickly regretted due to the perverted old men in both cars) hitch hiking. As I could start to make out the top of the stairs, I took a few moments to glance down at what I was wearing. Was this appropriate attire to be wearing to meet one of the most renown physics in the world?

When I travel, I dress to suit what I'm doing and where I'm going as well as trying to stick to my own sense of style. My dark blue bellbottoms and black boots, with a navy blue colored spaghetti strap. I wore a white plain baseball cap. In these type of clothes I was able to easily move around while still staying comfortable and still managing to look halfway decent. To answer my earlier question on whether this was decent enough or not…

I should've worn a dress.

_No time to be fretting that now. I'm stuck with this, might as well live with it. _The moment of truth. The time to shine. The Great revelation…!

I had reached the top of the stairs.

It was what I expected…and yet it wasn't. A traditional Shinto shrine, with the little pond off to the side and the small wraparound porch. Sliding rice paper doors, and I was only semi surprised to hear the sound of a classical music radio turned on somewhere to my left (if it was on my right side I probably wouldn't have been able to hear it).

I was barely standing at the top of the temple stairs for a few seconds before one of the sliding doors opened before me, and the great master herself came out.

She was old. Ancient really. Her hair was a scraggly and a greyish…pink? Red? Reddish brown? It was hard to tell, but it was predominantly grey now. She had some wrinkles, but what made her seem so old was in her eyes. They were a greyish, flinty color with a few shades of brown adding some softness. She looked mean. Tough. Hard knock, old school, kick-your-ass-before-she'd-hug-ya type of sensei.

I was immediately in love with her.

She stared over me for a few long moments, before hopping off the ledge of the porch and making her way towards me, her hands behind her back. I was surprised to see how steady she walked, wondering if osteoporosis made her that short or if she was just born that tiny. I felt like a giant when she finally made her way to me, scrutinizing me and giving me the stink eye. Then she walked around me, as I stood perfectly still, so she could get a 360 view of me.

Then Master Genkai stopped in front of me once again, and I noticed her features relaxed, but only slightly. Her voice was the first to break the silence over the soft notes of the radio in the distance.

"You've gotten bigger."

It was a simple statement, made casually and almost in a bored, I-could-care-less type of fashion. I looked down at her and slowly managed a smile. I went to open my mouth to reply but she abruptly turned from me and made her way towards the door she came from. "Put down that backpack on the porch. I made tea." Genkai didn't look back at me as she spoke, but she didn't need too. She knew I would come.

I walked over to where she was, set down my backpack on the ground in front of the porch, and stepped up, slipping off my shoes before I entered the room (as was the traditional way). She sat across from me, her short legs crossed, pouring us two cups of tea as I too sat down across from her. I murmured a soft thank you as she handed me my tea, and together in unison we took our first sip.

Though I nearly dropped my cup, letting out a yelp as the scalding hot liquid burned the tip of my tongue. Genkai snorted, not pausing as she drank her little cup in one long drink. I gave her a soft glare as she set down her cup and turned her eyes to me.

"Why did your parents send you here?"

"They didn't." I was fanning my tongue a little bit. "I sent myself." She paused, though my response almost seemed to be what she was expecting. Slowly, she poured herself more tea and casually asked, "Does that scar on your face have anything to do with why you're here?"

Shit.

SHIT!

She knew. Oh God how in the hell did she know?

I could feel the panic on my face, and if I could feel it I knew she sure as hell could see it. See it on my marred face, in the way my body tensed up and the hairs on my arms stood up straight as pins. I felt sick. I felt horribly, horribly nauseous as I asked, my voice a shaking whisper, "How did you find out?"

She rolled her eyes at me like I was a total dumbass. "Who didn't see it? It wasn't just local news Xannah, it made it all the way to international news."

I wanted to crawl under the porch and spend the rest of my life there with the rats and God only knew what other creatures slept underneath there. I started to take slow, deep breaths as she watched me slowly calm myself down about my little…ah, "incident". I ran my fingers through my thin dark blonde hair, watching as each strand fell between my fingertips. This simple gesture alone was enough to calm me down so I could function again.

Thinking about…_that_ put me in such a severe state of panic I couldn't function. Could barely breathe and find my voice to speak again. Genkai was watching me with a critical eye, scrutinizing everything I was doing. Every gesture, every breath…

Finally the old sensei sighed, set down her cup of tea, and closed her eyes a little, suddenly looking very tired. Looking…well, looking like an old woman. By the time she opened her eyes again I was completely relaxed.

"Better now?"

"Peachy," I replied.

"Now back to the matter at hand Xannah…why here? Of all the other relatives you could've gone to, all of the other people who could've taken you in…you came to me. I have an idea why, but I'd like to hear it from you." Sipping her tea slowly, she waited for my reply. Which came rather swiftly because I had been thinking on this for a while.

"I've always felt safest with you. And here in Japan is as far away from home as I could get." Setting down her teacup, Genkai looked at me with an unreadable expression. Then she softly sighed. "I take it your mother put up a fight?"

I nodded, my voice turning slightly bitter. "She disowned me, Genkai. Saying I was going to ruin my life by coming here. By staying with you. So I took all my money I had to my name and got a plane ticket to come here." Genkai's eyes sharpened a little.

"You dimwit." I didn't flinch, but did manage a grimace. Then she stood up, looking down on me now from her slight elevation above me. "I'll let you stay here…"

I started to smile, feeling this day just got a little better.

"…on a few conditions."

Face fall. Why did I have the feeling these "conditions" weren't going to be all sunshine and sprinkles?

Genkai smirked very faintly. "First condition: You get a job. Second condition: You further your education in some form. College, the internet, cyber nerd, I don't give a damn. And third…"

"Oh come on!" A soft whine was in my tone. But she pressed on as if I hadn't spoken. "The last condition is that you let me see whether or not you have any sort of spiritual awareness. If you do, we're going to make sure you know how to sense it, be wary of it, and control it. Got it?"

I sighed but nodded in compliance. There was no use arguing with her. It wouldn't do any good. I looked up at the woman before me. And the more I looked the more I saw myself in her. My eyes were like hers. Wide, with the similar shade of brown only my eyes had small tinges of green in the depths instead of her flinty undertone. I was medium height, roughly 5'5, while she looked like a dwarf compared to me. Though we had a similar bone structure. It was ironic how much I looked like her when she was younger, only my hair was a dark brownish blonde.

"I'll show you to a room you can stay in and get comfortable. Then you're going to help me make dinner. I'm having some visitors tonight and I might as well make something decent." Her slightly demanding tone didn't bother me. It comforted me a little bit. For the past few months I've had people do nothing but baby me and coddle me and treat me like I was a piece of fine china. Genkai didn't do that though.

At least not yet. I wouldn't be surprised if she started doing it without realizing it.

"Thanks…grammy."

I heard a small snort. "Grandma works better. Everybody else calls me that already." Chuckling, I hoisted my pack onto my back and followed suit behind her.

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I suddenly got this idea and just HAD to put it down on word processor! I'll update if I get a few reviews


	2. Goodnight, Goodnight

Chapter 2: Goodnight, Goodnight

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The room I was led to was small and modest. Then again a lot of the rooms were. There was a small futon in the middle of the room, already laid out and made, as if Genkai had been expecting company. Looking around, I saw a small dresser for clothes, and the little closet where futons are kept along with extra blankets. The only other things in the room were a small vanity set with a mirror in the far right corner and a sliding door that led out into what I guessed was the small center courtyard. I had only seen it once before.

That was years ago.

"Go ahead and get your things together. Then come to the kitchen." Turning, the elderly woman left me in the doorway to my new room. Sighing, I walked in and set down my pack and started taking out bits at a time. Shirt, jeans, two shirts, bra, some panties, more shirts, more jeans…

One by one until my pack was completely empty and everything was spread out in front of me, half on the floor and half on the futon. Most of it was clothes, while my laptop, wallet, toiletries', and a few other choice personal items were set off to the side. Quickly, knowing that Genkai was waiting in the other room, I got changed.

It took me a few moments to find the kitchen afterwards, though I just followed the scent of cooking rice and soy sauce. My bare feet made hardly any noise on the hardwood floors, however Genkai still felt me approaching. "Do you know how to make rice balls?" She asked, pouring some spices into a softly bubbling pot of…something. Soup? Stew? Some witchy witch's' brew?

I couldn't help but softly snort. "Yes," I replied. "Kind of hard not to know that kind of stuff when your mother is born and raised Japanese." Genkai didn't comment to that, and I took the silence as cue to start working on the rice balls. Washing my hands, I took some of the sticky rice and started rolling and molding it in my hands, a circular triangle taking place.

It was quiet as we worked. I didn't mind too much. It meant less time that I had to answer questions. I started to wonder if maybe my mom had taken any time to explain to Genkai what had happened to me. I knew I shouldn't dwell too much on it, and that it was only going to come back and haunt me again. But suddenly the urge roared up within me like some kind of monster, and I HAD to know.

"How…" I paused, suddenly having kind of a hard time finding my voice. She looked at me, quiet and almost patient as she paused halfway from stirring…whatever it was she was making.

"How much…do you know…about what happened…to me."

Her eyes met mine for a moment, and she soundlessly turned back to the pot.

The silence was broken by a single word.

"Everything."

I felt cold, and yet warm at the same time. Good. Her knowing "everything", as she so eloquently put it, meant less time and effort for me to explain later on. I began working on another rice ball as she began to speak again.

"It wasn't your mother that told me though, Xannah. It was your father." I turned sharply to gaze at her with widened eyes.

"You're JOKING!" I felt… shocked. My dad wasn't even supposed to know that Genkai even existed. Or at least, that she was even alive. My mother only told me in a moment of sentimental reminiscence. Even then, she made me swear to not tell anyone about Genkai. At least, not to tell anyone we were related.

It seemed to bear a mark of shame to my mother to admit that Genkai was her mother. I don't even really know why. And also, it doesn't seem possible. Genkai seemed too old to be my mother's mother. My mother was 42, and Genkai was…well…my guess was way older then just 60 or 70. Something about her just seemed much older than your average old lady next door.

"I'm not. He wrote me a letter shortly after they got you back into custody to let me know what had happened. My guess is that he's known for a while but probably hasn't said anything." My father was a musician, with a dark ponytail and bright brown eyes and a little soul patch under his lower lip. He was as kind as he was talented, and with me being an only child I was his "greatest creation". To which I'd tease, "I hope I'm your only "greatest creation"."

My mother on the other hand was dark skinned from the tanning bed, blonde, and blue eyed. She had the beautifully horrifying capacity to love fiercely, and despise just as fiercely. Her bipolarism and ability to be able to tell a lie just as easily as truth made her to be a complicated woman, and at times I wondered what my father saw in her.

When asked, he would simply smile sadly and continue on with his work or whatever else it was he had been doing.

Standing next to my grandmother in this little Japanese kitchen thousands of miles from my family and friends actually felt…comfortable.

No longer was I in that old house full of anger and passion and bitterness. Being at Genkai's was soothing. I had only been here for about an hour, and already it felt homely. Like I belonged here. I didn't mind the silence that lingered between us as we were left to our thoughts.

This felt like home.

* * *

Two hours later, with very little talk between us besides the sizzling and bubbling of various cooking items, Genkai sat down at the small four person table, pouring us each a cup of tea. Taking this as my cue to sit down along with her, I sat across from her and began to lightly blow over the surface. Doing this for a few seconds deemed things safe, and I began to sip.

Genkai set down her cup after a moment. "Before everyone comes over, there's a few things I need to tell you so that you don't go into shock." I looked at her quizzically, but said nothing in response, patiently waiting for her to continue. Which she did once she realized she had my attention.

"There's going to be some boys coming over, as well as one of their girlfriends, and another girl. I don't think there'll be any problems. But none of them are normal, got it?"

"Ah," I murmured, understanding what she was hinting at. "So when you say none of them are normal, should I be expecting one of them with horns?" I was very lightly teasing, but she just gave me a bland look.

I paused. "Wait…mom told me all that crock about demons-"

"Wasn't real?" She snorted. "Bullshit. Your mother kept a lot of things from you, as well as fed you a bunch of crap about her heritage, but the things I told you when you were little are the truth. " Genkai let that linger in the air for a moment before continuing. "Normally, it's forbidden to let a human know about the Demon and Spirit Worlds, but at the time I couldn't tell if you had any awareness or psychic abilities. It would be almost murder to not let you know in case you happened to stumble across something like that back in America."

I took a sip of my tea, thoughtful. "So…those times when I'd tell my mom I would see monsters in the backyard…?"

"Probably true." Setting down her tea, she gave me another hard, studying stare. I couldn't help but flush a little at the scrutiny, but said nothing. After another few moments she nodded, satisfied, and began to speak again. "Your energy is very, very faint. You have enough to where you can see minor things like the occasional ghost or low level demon. But that's it."

"I thought that was just my imagination-"

"No. Maybe one or two of them might have been shadows. But the rest were more than likely lower class demons drawn to your faint aura. But what's done is done." Standing up, taking the small kettle she had used to pour the tea, she went and refilled it.

I watched her all the while, and at that particular moment, my hearing aide picked up some very faint voices.

"And here come the dimwits," she grumbled under her breath as she placed the kettle back onto the table, the tea not as hot as it was before. She turned the force of her gaze on me until I met her eyes.

"You don't have to meet them if you don't want."

Giving a shrug, I stood up as I heard a call of "Where's the old hag?" a little ways down the hall. "It's alright. I'm not as self-"

I barely finished my sentence when in the doorway towered probably one of the cutest boys I've ever seen in my life.

His brown eyes, like molten chocolate, had settled on Genkai with a very cheeky grin. His hair was jet black and slicked back a little in an almost thuggish style. He looked like a greaser from the 50s, with his leather jacket, white wife beater, and jeans that had worn and torn at the knees. The sneakers on his feet were worn too, and as my eyes met his after my once over of him, he stiffened a little.

I realized then that the way I was sitting at the table gave him the scarred side of my profile.

"Mmm, Genkai what smells so good?" Following behind the first boy was another one…and boy was he ever tall! The gelled orange hair and small eyes made him almost seem intimidating…except for the goofy grin on his face. I suddenly had the urge to cuddle him. He wore a long sleeved shirt and less faded and worn jeans as the first one. However, once he saw me, he too stiffened.

Dammit.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to stare?" asked Genkai cooly, making her way over to them. They parted slightly to let her walk past, and soon I heard a few other voices. Then the eyes turned back to me and I stood up, giving them one of my best smiles.

"Heya. I'm Xannah. Nice to meet you." At this, the tension seemed to ease a little. The cute one with the chocolate eyes gave me a nod and a grin, "I'm Yusuke. It's not often we get newbies. Where you from?"

"America."

Now the taller one behind Yusuke said something. "Woah, an American! What're you doing all the way out here in the Japanese boonies?"

Yusuke jerked his thumb behind him with a roll of his eyes that made me chuckle, "The big one behind me is Kuwabara."

"Nice to meet you guys. And I'm going to be living here for a while actually." Yusuke started to snicker, "God I feel bad for you. Are you here for training or something? I thought the old lady wasn't going to start anymore Training Sessions from Hell…"

Grinning , I replied, "Well…that "old lady" is my grandmother."

Shock registered on both of their faces, followed by Yusuke's loud exclamation, "No FUCKING way! That old bat popped out kids?" Kuwabara gave him a slight smack over the back of the head. "C'mon Urameshi have some respect!"

Voices continued to get louder as they came inside and made their way to and fro. From the sounds of it they were heading towards the dojo, where the most wide open space was. Genkai had given me a rough verbal layout of the temple, so I wouldn't get lost later on. I was still convinced I would be getting lost at some point.

A few minutes of pleasant conversation made me feel a little more at ease, and my little "problem" now seemed nonexistent to the two. Yusuke and Kuwabara were their names, and they had known Genkai for a long time. Yusuke became Genkai's disciple a few years ago, and Kuwabara was an old school friend. By the way they sometimes fought and bickered, they seemed like an old married couple.

Following the two, we made our ways towards the more central part of the temple where the dojo was. "It used to be a regular training dojo. But now that Genkai doesn't offer much training anymore, we moved some stuff in there. A few tables, some couches and bean bag chairs, an old TV…" explained Kuwabara as we continued to walk.

"Hey, wonder if Chuu wants to play some videogames?" asked Yusuke thoughtfully as we turned the corner and into the dojo we went. The lights were fairly dim, but it was easy to see everyone with the light from outside shining in.

People looked up, calls of "Who's that?" and "Urameshi!" echoing towards us. Never before in my life had I seen such an interesting group of people before.

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I'm kind of bummed at the lack of reviews, but I also like this story idea I have churning in my head. Thanks to the two people (one being the lovely Graph) for paying some attention to this story! Will update soon-ish.


	3. Do this Anymore

Chapter 3: Do this Anymore

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The first one I noticed was an ENORMOUS man with a bright blue Mohawk. He was built like a tank, with large muscles rippling through his tall frame. He was the first to stumble over to us, and that was when I noticed the faint but apparent smell of alcohol. It made my nose wrinkle only slightly. My mother had a small…ish drinking problem. He was showing all the signs of a drunk.

He wrapped his arm roughly around Yusuke's shoulders and peered down at me through surprisingly clear but leering eyes (I was standing between Yusuke and Kuwabara at the time). "Well, well Yusuke! Where'd you pick up this sheila?" I gave the giant a smile and held out my hand. "I'm Xannah, nice to meet you."

"The name's Chuu, sweetheart!" His accent was faintly Aussie, and instead of shaking my hand he gave it a rough kiss and promptly picked me up and gave me the bear hug of a lifetime. I almost couldn't breathe. "H-Hey! C-Can't…breathe…"

"I'd be careful Chuu. Hurt the old bat's grandkid there and she'll be on you like fly on shit." Chuu paused, and ever so slowly set me down. "Sorry bout that, love." He dusted off my shoulders with a nervous chuckle as he looked over at Genkai. She had her arms crossed with a mild expression but made no comment.

For a few moments, I became the object of awe and scrutiny from the rest of the visitors. I was introduced to everyone, and for a few moments I felt at ease. But something seemed off. For the life of me I couldn't think of what it was. It wasn't until after I was brought to Keiko, Yusuke's equally cute girlfriend who tensed a little at my face that I realized what it had been.

Chuu, Jin, Touya, and Rinku didn't seem to notice my scar.

But Keiko, followed by Botan and then the tiny Yukina did.

And in those few moments, I forgot about my inner demons and my own issues and focused more on the world around me.

"Xannah?"

Giving a start, I looked over at Botan, a slender woman with a bubbly disposition and almost obnoxiously bright blue hair. "Yeah?" Her eyes brightened a little at getting my attention. "You spaced out when Rinku started talking to you." My eyes settled on the small boy before me and I flashed an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that, what were you saying?" And things settled as if the moment never happened. "You're from America right? What's that like?" Memories of my mother came to mind. Of fragrant hugs and screams in the night of anger and forgotten dreams. Memories of my father, with a sad smile and the stone hard callouses on his fingertips from strumming a guitar all his life…

"It's…it's a place where anything can happen. Where anything goes. Things are a lot more hard knock in America then here. At least from what I've seen so far." He seemed fascinated by what I told him, his large and expressive eyes not seeming to miss a thing. "Bet ya miss it already, huh?"

By now the small talk and introductions had led us to relax and sit around the lounging area. I was sitting on the couch in between Yukina and Touya while Rinku, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were lounging in some bean bag chairs strewn around the couch in a loose circle. Keiko and Genkai had went to check on the food and get it ready, and moments later Botan followed suite. Chuu alone took up the loveseat, sprawled out without a care, and Jin sat perched on the back of the loveseat, his pointed ears standing to attention amongst his mane of red hair.

Rinku's question made me think. Did I miss it? I missed my friends, and even missed my parents a little. But outside of that…

"I don't think things have fully settled in," I responded carefully, while keeping my tone light. "I just came here a few days ago. But give it another week or so and I may start to feel homesick." Jin shook some of his hair from his eyes and piped up, "How old are ya? I didn't think Genkai was even married, let alone popped out a tike or two."

His accent made me smile a little. It was adorable. "That's a story I don't even know all the answers too. You'd have to ask Genkai herself. My mother never told me much about Genkai, and I've only met her twice before."

"So you just packed up and came to live with a relative you hardly know? Kind of gutsy," said Yusuke, his hands resting behind his head. My response was a simple shrug, "What's life without taking a risk or two?"

"I'll drink to that, sheila!" I don't know where he had been keeping it, but Chuu suddenly had a bottle in his hand and was taking a long pull from the top like it was water. I had my share of alcohol now and again, but even an amateur like me could tell when I was looking at a true master. He made my mom look like a flake.

Feeling eyes on me at an uncomfortable closeness, I turned a little and saw Yukina had been looking at me. I met her scarlet eyes with mine and barely was able to form any coherent words before she spoke with all the kindness of a patron saint, "Does…your scar hurt? I've seen you touch it now and then. I could heal I for you if you'd like."

The wide innocence in her eyes was charming, and her concern for me made my heart flutter a bit. It was true though. I had a habit of touching my scar a lot. Most of the time I didn't even realize I was doing it until someone would stare or point it out to me.

The little TV set before me was turned off, and as my eyes settled I could see my reflection clearly in the black glass. The "scar" was there in all it's glory. A dark reddish brown blotch over my face like a bad birthmark.

The mark had taken up a good part of the right side of my face, the side my hearing aide was also on. The skin wasn't shiny the way old cuts become with age, but marred like an ugly burn. It took up my whole cheek, and was shaped like a very funky W, with one leg ending slightly above my temple, the center leg large and taking up all of my cheek. Though it stopped short from my mouth and nose. The last leg curved a little, barely grazing my chin as it seemed to melt down onto my jaw.

I stared for a moment or two, and Yukina's voice broke my self-scrutiny. "I hope I didn't say anything to offend you Xannah," she murmured, looking down at her lap demurely. God I wanted to hug the shit out of this kid. "Oh no! Yukina, you're fine. I touch it out of habit, but it doesn't affect me at all." My smile and words soothed her, and I was graced with a delicate smile.

Kuwabara sighed dreamily, his eyes focused on Yukina like he was staring at the love of his life. I stared until Yusuke smirked my way. "This is nothing new. He's been like this for years."

"Ah…" And she hasn't noticed this yet? That's harsh.

"The food's ready boys and girls!" I tilted my head back to see Botan peeking around the corner, and wondered where she suddenly got the frilly white apron from. "Finally!" Yusuke jumped up and immediately started to bolt. "I am so getting first dibs!"

"In your dreams, Urameshi!" Kuwabara went after him, Botan narrowly missing being run over. Jin was all for the chase, still sitting cross legged as he _floated_ before making like a human (or demon?) hovercraft after them. I felt myself staring again before Touya calmly explained, "Jin is a wind shinobi. It's normal for him to do things like that."

"Riiight." It was just a little weird, though grandma did warn me these people weren't normal. I think I was taking things a lot better than I thought I would. Especially after the fact I just saw someone for the first time in my life FLY…

Standing up, giving a stretch and a yawn, I followed Yukina and Touya out of the dojo towards the kitchen. Rinku was poking at Chuu and trying to wake him up after he passed out from the whole bottle of booze.

* * *

Things got quieter after everyone started eating. Occasionally Genkai or myself got complimented on the food (which for those who want to know was tempura, curry, a beef and potato stew, rice, and meat dumplings. Strange, but I guess she planned on appealing to all the varying tastes of our guests). It was only when the meal started winding down did I learn more about these people who seemed to hold my grandmother in high regards.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were the first to meet Genkai. During a tournament she held to determine a disciple, Yusuke and Kuwabara entered and in the end Yusuke emerged first with Kuwabara following close behind. Botan was also a part of this as well, but not in so large a way. More a spectator really.

Yukina had been living with Genkai for a while, helping out around the temple as she continued to search for her long lost brother.

Chuu, Rinku, Jin, and Touya had trained under Genkai under the supervision of another nonpresent member of the group, Kurama.

And that was when it happened.

Yukina and I had went into the kitchen, dropping off some dishes in the sink to soak. She was pleasant girl, and her soft manner made her so adorable I could hardly stand it (in the good way though). "So how long do you plan on staying in our world?" I asked her as I rinsed off the dishes for her to put in the other side of the sink with the soapy water.

"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. "I enjoy being here at the temple with Genkai and having these moments with the others when they all come to visit like this." Her eyes softened just a tad. "And…well…I'm still hoping to hear of any news about my brother…"

"That's understandable," I replied. I was just turning off the water when I heard a loud chorus of greetings. Yukina's eyes brightened at this as she dried off her dainty hands. "Oh! Good. They're here."

"They?"

"Kurama and ," replied Yukina, smiling to me. "You haven't met them yet, but they're the other two that helped Yusuke and Kazuma on their Spirit Detective cases." Her smile was contagious and I smiled back. "We better go greet them then. Shall we m'lady?" I gave a gentlemanly bow which had her in giggles as we headed back outside.

The late afternoon sun shone down on everyone as my eyes settled on the two figures before me. One was tall, gorgeous and…well…very red. His hair was like a thick red mane that went down his back, and was an intense color a few shades lighter then a rose. Me and my hair fetish, I suddenly had the urge to run up and touch it. The white dress shirt and grey slacks complimented his long slender form nicely. Which brought my eyes to settle on the smaller of the two.

Who I assumed, judging by how Yusuke addressed him and gave him a pat on the back, was Hiei.

He was kind of a scary little thing. Black hair all in these spikes that almost looked like weapons in themselves, not counting the travel worn katana at his hip. A burst of white was at the center of his hair, spanning into his bangs that hung over a white bandana and his red eyes. It made me think of Yukina's eyes. It also made me think that he needed a hair cut.

Stepping down along with Yukina, we made our way towards the two. Kurama was the first to notice us, and his smile was as warm as the sunshine. "Hello," he said (and I am happy to say he made no reaction towards my scar whatsoever). "I haven't seen you here before."

"That's good because I just got here," I replied with a small grin as I held out my hand in the American way of handshaking. "I'm Xannah." Kurama shook my hand with a gentle but firm grip. His fingers were long and slender, and I wondered a little if he played any piano.

"A pleasure."

Chuu spoke up from his spot on the porch, munching on some watermelon that Genkai had cut up earlier when I wasn't around, "Careful Kurama, don't be getting too fresh with Genkai's granddaughter now!" I was amused at the slight widening of Kurama's green eyes (like new leaves hue wise) as his hand slowly came to rest at his side.

"Interesting. I wasn't even aware Genkai had ever had any children." His eyes settled on Genkai's prone figure next to Chuu, calmly sipping her tea. Her response was simply this: "A lady never tells." Yusuke gave a snort and a faint grumble. Something I guessed that had to do with the fact that my grandma was FAR from a lady…

"Shut up you brat."

This brought some light laughter as the teacher and student began to lightly bicker. A new voice joined the fray, only it was closer to me and deeper. Hiei was talking to me. The first words I ever heard him spoke were the ones I hated most of all.

"What's that thing you have in your ear?"

* * *

Well, I surprised myself. Got into a writing frenzy all day today and could barely stop. So I ended up updating twice in 2 days. A record for me, heh heh.

Anyways, being progressively deaf myself (which kinda inspired the idea for Xannah, plus it'd be easy doing a disability I had knowledge of) and owning a hearing aide (which is almost undetectable thank God), the question at the end is one of the ones I hate the most and is also one I used to be asked all the time when I was a kid. Go figure.

Yay for the two reviews I got from Graph! They helped inspire me But I still want more! So, I'm going to reign myself in and wait till I have 5 reviews total before I update. If you read this story and like it so far and want to see it progress, leave a comment or two. I'd love it!


	4. Hands Down

Chapter 4: Hands Down

Note: Boldfaced font is Xannah's deeper, innermost thoughts. Mainly applies to when she's thinking about her past, among other things.

* * *

"Hiei that's not exactly polite," chastised Kurama gently to the one next to him, who I was staring at with a slight twitch. Gods I HATED that question! Little asshole…and here he is, staring at me like he demands an answer! I wanted to hit him suddenly. A nice sound smack over the back of his spiky little head…

"It's called a hearing aide," I said, mustering all the patience and calmness I could. Remember Xannah he's more then likely a demon and has probably never seen or heard of a hearing aide before…deep breaths hunny deep breaths…

To explain something really quick: I've been partially deaf since I was an infant. It's unclear whether I was born with it or not, but it's always been there. Later on I was diagnosed with progressive deafness, which in a nutshell means I'm going to lose more and more of my hearing over time until I possibly become legally deaf.

The only thing to help with this kind of issue are hearing aides.

Back when I was younger, they were these obnoxious colored ear molds that you'd have to blind not to notice. Even trying to hide it with my hair didn't help. And so for most of my child and teenagerhood, I had been bugged about it. To the point where it now has developed into the annoyance and pet peeve of today.

Hiei was continuing to stare, so I added as lightly as I could, "It's a small device that is put in someone's ear to help them hear better when they have hearing problems." No response. He looked like a bat. A spiky haired, arrogant little bat. But his eyes were so pretty.

I didn't even realize that we were staring until Kurama made a small noise (clearing his throat). "Perhaps we should see if there's anything left to eat Hiei." Only then did Hiei look away and the two made towards the kitchen towards where the remaining late lunch scraps were.

Yusuke made himself comfortable on the grass, basking in the sun, "I'm surprised Hiei even came at all today." That got my attention. "And why's that?" It was Kuwabara who informed me of what I had already guessed at.

"Hiei's a demon from Demon World. He never liked being here in the first place, but because he was on probation he didn't have a choice." Once again, I began to lightly play with my hair but I wasn't exactly sure why. Sitting down on the warm grass along with Yusuke, the sound of Jin and Rinku playing around in the background, I looked back up at Kuwabara.

"What'd exactly he do to get into trouble?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "Stole some stuff from Spirit World and nearly turned Keiko into a three eyed demon."

O…k…

"That's…not weird at all," I said with some optimism. Things probably could've gone worse with a demon right? Yusuke seemed to sense my underlying nervousness. "Hiei's not that bad a guy at all, Xannah. He changed for the better after all that stuff. We probably would be dead by now without Hiei having been around to help us." His words did help…a little.

"Well, if Genkai's even letting him come here then he must not be that bad." I was saying this out loud more to reassure myself then anything else. Chuu stumbled over to us and wrapped his tree limb size arm around my shoulders. I nearly dropped to the ground from the sheer weight of him. Again, the man was sturdier then a log cabin.

"Hiei's a good little fella. Not the person you'd want to have a brawl in a dark alley with, but he's definitely one who you'd want to be watching your back," he slurred, and I could smell the fresh aroma of booze on his breath. Where'd he manage to find another bottle of alcohol?

"Aye that he is! So no need to worry Xannah. He'll be good to ya I'm sure," added Jin, floating our way with all the ease of a summer cloud. Did EVERYONE sense my uneasiness? Apparently so because now even my own grandmother joined, in her own special way of course.

"Hiei has proved himself time and time again to be both a formidable opponent and a worthy comrade. I highly doubt he'd turn on us at this point." Genkai was sitting on the porch, relaxed with her legs crossed in a yoga pose I couldn't remember the name of. Her eyes were lightly closed, her mouth set in a calm, smooth line.

Her calmness made me feel calm too. Though I don't even remember what I was uneasy about in the first place.

* * *

**Cold. It was always cold there in the In Between. Despite the chill, I was always sweaty. Waiting to die. Waiting to live. It was a sweat of anticipation, and of dread. By the time I got out of there, my clothes were hard and stiff from the sweat, blood, and dirt which had caked and soaked on, dried, and repeated. I may as well have been wearing cardboard.**

…**Why?**

**Why did I make it out? I was the weakest link. I should've been the first to go down. The first to be made an example of. But…I wasn't? Why?**

**Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-**

"Xannah?"

To say I gave a start at the interruption to my thoughts would be an understatement. I nearly jolted right out of the little chair in front of my vanity mirror. I had done it again. Got lost so deeply in my thoughts I nearly shut out the rest of the world. "Shit," I cursed softly to myself. "Yes?" I called back to whoever it was behind the door calling for me. I didn't even hear whose voice it was.

It was Yukina's. "The fireflies are coming out. The sun is starting to set and everyone is wondering where you went." A pause, concern touching her voice like comforting velvet. "Do you not feel well?" My eyes drifted back to my face in the vanity mirror. I had straightened the curls in my hair with my worn out straightening iron. And I added my normal makeup ensemble now that I was settled and not traveling around: Some eyeliner (not overly done to make me look like a raccoon), a touch of white eye shadow, and a little lip gloss that added the faintest tint of red.

Wearing make-up made me feel comfortable. Not as if I was hiding anything (which I _so _was but that's besides the point), but it seemed more natural to me to do little make-up bits here and there to make my natural features stand out. The eyeliner and shadow helped my eyes pop out, the brown and soft green undertone brighter. The lip gloss just brought a little more attention to my lips, which were surprisingly unscarred from my little ordeal.

"I'm coming, Yukina. Just give me one sec to change into something a little warmer." As an added thought. "And no, I feel fine hun. Just getting a little more settled in was all." I could practically see her nod and smile. "Alright. I'll go tell everyone you're coming." The little pitter pat of her feet going down the hall. Silence.

Shortly after lunch and some more socializing, I learned that everyone tries to take the time every few weeks to get together and catch up. Not everyone has shown up at once like this in a while. I heard this is only the second or third time in a year that Hiei has shown up. And Chuu, Rinku, Jinn, and Touya all show up pretty regularly. If not them, then Botan, Yukina, Keiko, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke are always around.

Like a big family.

Shaking my head of the sentimental thoughts that didn't seem ready to leave me alone tonight, I hunted for something I could wear in the cooler night air. After a few minutes, I settled on another pair of pale blue jeans soft with age and a long sleeved black V neck. Satisfied with the way I looked in the mirror, I gave myself another lingering glance.

…**Why…**

I couldn't get out of my room fast enough.

* * *

Everyone was in the front of the temple the way we were earlier. I joined them, my slippers not making much noise on the porch. Indeed the fireflies were starting to come out amongst the flushed color of the sky. Bits of dark blue were looming as well, looking like a mass of watercolors in the sky.

Jin was suddenly standing beside me (or maybe he was there the whole time and I just hadn't noticed) with his hands behind his head as he watched on at the sky. "Does the sunsets look like this in America?" I couldn't help myself. I smiled and giggled a little, both at the question and his accent. His ears gave a very discreet wiggle I could see through his mane of hair.

"Yep. Though in the bigger cities it's harder to see because of all the lights and smog. A lot of times you aren't able to see the stars. Only planes." I looked at him and noticed him looking at me. And he grinned and reached out suddenly and took a strand of hair between his fingers. I stiffened and watched as he rubbed the straightened strands between his fingers.

"Oi, you look very different, that ye do! I like it though. Why'd you change though?" I met his eyes, and noticed for the first time they were an interesting shade of blue. Not too dark, nor too light. And they practically sparkled with life. Like sapphires. Or the sky.

"Well…I usually look this way. I straighten my hair and put on a little make up on a fairly regular basis." By now a few of the others had looked over, and I felt myself get a little red. Jin blinked and poked my cheek. "Is that make-up too?" Yusuke laughed a little, and I did too.

"Look!" Keiko pointed a little ways off by where the pond was, and little flickers of fireflies were appearing in tiny droves. Fluttering and swaying to their own dance routine. I couldn't help myself, having never seen fireflies before. Stepping off the porch, I walked closer to the pond, watching the little living light bulbs as they frolicked about.

It was beautiful.

"Hey Xannah you wanna catch some?" I looked behind me to see Yusuke with an old jar. He was trying to nab a few strays without killing them, and the idea made me think of old country style commercials. Those kind of commercials that made the world seem like a simpler place, and made you think of cozy times with family and friends.

Nodding, I made my way to him. Yukina and Botan had a jar and were headed back towards the pond to try to catch one of the fireflies that were in the large group. Taking a spare jar from Yusuke with a smile, my eyes settled on one little baby firefly that went right past me off towards the shade of a tree by the corner of the porch.

I went past Touya and Rinku, past Chuu as he and Jin were trying to catch some with their bare hands, and into the shade of the tree. I'd reach out to catch the bug, and it'd flitter off. Only to come close again before moving away from me, teasingly so. Like it was taunting me, the little shit. I couldn't help but smile, enjoying myself.

"It won't come to you if it knows you're going to catch it." I paused. Who-? Oh yeah. Hiei. Bat boy.

I looked up, and sure enough he was there in the shade of the tree, his eyes closed. The way he was sitting on the branch against the base of the tree made him seem like he was asleep. Until he opened his mouth again.

"If you stay still, it'll come to you when it's ready."

I almost (key word: ALMOST) felt like being a smart alec and trying to show him I could catch it without his words of advice. Because for some reason I did NOT like this guy. Not in the strong dislike kind of way. But in the way you dislike your kid brother for simply being your kid brother.

"If you say so," I finally dissented in an effort to keep peace. I heard a snort and my eyes narrowed slightly at the "hn" noise.

"What?"

"Look."

I looked down.

Sure enough, the little firefly had flown into my jar itself. Looking up at Hiei, I saw him looking at me again as I slowly clasped my hand over the top of the jar.

* * *

Yay I got those reviews I want :D That makes me super happy. And a story alert, woot! I'll update again after…hmmm…6 more reviews Until then kiddies!


	5. Fifteen

Chapter 5: Fifteen

* * *

**BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM-**

"Aaahh!" If I was like Jin, and was able to control wind, I probably would've propelled myself through the ceiling like a high powered nuclear mini rocket.

**BOOMBOOMBOOMBO-**

As quickly as I possibly could, I grabbed my cell phone and shut off the alarm (which by the way was under the sound effect "Fog Horn") before deftly tossing the stupid thing onto the floor with a rather loud _smack. _As if waiting for the abuse, the cell phone began vibrating loudly, which meant I was suddenly getting barreled with texts. Counting the vibrations, I got 3.

I ignored them, instead snuggling into my pillows and trying to go back to sleep.

My grandmother though, had other ideas.

"Get your butt out of bed." I peeked up at her through my tangled mass of hair, blinking owlishly. "Grandma, it's 5 in the morning and I didn't get to bed until almost midnight…C'mon, have a heart," I whined softly, rubbing some sleep from my eyes. It was still dark outside, the only light coming from my cell phone and the small candle Genkai carried in one hand.

She was standing over me, her eyes showing no mercy. Little hard ass. She gave my butt a sharp little nudge with her bare foot. "The bus to town leaves in an hour. You're going to go there, convert your money to Japanese currency, and go find a job." Taking all the strength my wary body, I was supporting myself with my elbows.

"So you're cutting me loose? Just like that?" I was attempting some humor, but she merely snorted (do I detect the ghost of a smirk?). "Yukina made breakfast. Get up, get dressed. Hope you like bacon." Duh. Of course I like bacon. And she knows this from when I…was here…as a little kid once…

I stared at her retreating back and almost felt like crying.

Even after all this time, she remembered.

It was something small and stupid, but she remembered what I liked for breakfast.

Grabbing a change of clothes, I marched towards where the bath was so I could clean up. And thought about last night. After that quiet moment with Hiei, the rest of the night passed like a dream. Catching fireflies and then releasing them back into the sky. Eating some ice cream while Yusuke and Kuwabara messed with some old sparklers from a festival last July. Around midnight, everyone passed out around various parts of the temple. Either in spare rooms, outside, or in the dojo.

Scrubbing at my hair like my life depended on it, and doing equal measure to my body, I hastily threw on my clothes and wrapped the towel around my head before trying to be as quiet as I could and head towards the kitchen. I smelled the bacon long before I saw it, and it made my mouth water.

"Good morning Xannah!"

"Gah! Too…bright…" Yukina's smile was almost blinding. Was she a morning person or what? I didn't see Genkai around as I sat down, but someone else was at the table as well that I hadn't seen right away. He calmly was sipping a cup of coffee, and he looked almost normal. Except for the hair and eyes that continued to stare at me like little laser beams.

"Mornin' Hiei."

"Hn."

" is a morning person like me," said Yukina with a smile as she set down the plate of food in front of me. I felt like I was going to die and go to heaven. God bless Genkai (or I guess "Enma bless") for this. She knew exactly what I liked, which hasn't changed from when I was younger. Bacon, egg with cheddar cheese mixed in, French toast, and strawberries…

"Thank you Yukina," I said with a bright smile, and she smiled back. Now I felt way better about having to get up this early. Ignoring Hiei the best I could, I began to eat with all the gusto of a fat kid at McDonald's. I'm a quick eater, but I also savor at the same time. I was just about to take another bite when Hiei spoke to me. Again.

"You're not wearing it."

"Eh?" I looked up at him as I munched on a piece of bacon. He was looking at me again, and the scrutiny made me blush. It took a few seconds, and then I knew what he was talking about. "Oh! My hearing aide? I just got out of the shower so I haven't put it on yet." I was about to take another bite when he started to talk some more. "How can you even still hear me when it's not being used?"

Minor twitch.

Stay…calm.

To help myself, I treated this situation the way I would treat talking to a kid. Just not with the annoying tone. "Well…I'm not completely deaf. Yet. But my right ear is worse than my left ear, so I have to wear a hearing aide in my right ear. But I can still manage with out it in, but not as good as normal people hear. With me so far?" Did I mention I'm rather Italian and I use my hands a lot when I talk?

Well, I do. A lot.

He seemed…fairly intrigued, I guess. So I continued.

"Eventually though, even the hearing aides won't work and I'll be left on my own." I didn't really know what else to say after that. Talking about my disability sometimes was hard, because then I was hit with the harsh reality of the fact that yes, I was going deaf and no, I wasn't a decrepit old woman. Clearing my throat a little, I ended the conversation lamely and started to eat again.

It was pretty silent in the kitchen from that point forward, except for the cooking sounds and smells Yukina produced as she prepared what looked like nothing less than a feast for the others when they finally woke up. I realized I was suddenly grateful I was going to miss having to battle with Yusuke and the other demons for food.

Finishing, I placed my plate at the sink and Yukina took it from me with a cheerful, "Have a good day!" I nodded and gave her a small one armed hug (very un-Japanese of me but she didn't seem to mind at all, except to lightly blush) before heading towards my room. I didn't even look at or say goodbye to Hiei, and I wasn't sure why. I just didn't.

* * *

About 15 minutes later, clad in dark grey slacks and a burgundy collared dress shirt with my purse slung carelessly over my shoulder, I was speeding down the temple stairs as fast as I could without rolling and tumbling the rest of the way down. Thank God for the invention of flats. I hate heels too much to even wear them for formal occasions.

And job hunting in Japan meant I needed to try and look like the ever studious American girl trying to get some money for college. So deep in thought after I had reached the bus stop a few minutes away that I didn't notice when someone was standing besides me. And more importantly, when someone started talking to me.

"Hmmm?" I looked up, and was a little taken aback at seeing Kurama there besides me, standing there casually with his hands in the pocket of his slacks as if he too was waiting for the bus like I was. My brow went up as he gave me one of his soft, neutral expressions.

"What are you doing here? Heading home already?"

"No. Genkai wanted me to come along with you part of the way in case you needed any assistance with the directions." I couldn't help but chuckle. "Fine, thanks. Hope this isn't too much trouble for ya." The red head gave me a small smile and replied, "No. Not at all. I'll be with you as far as Fushiyama station, which will lead you to the outskirts of the business district in town. After that, I'll have to go back to the temple."

"That's fine. I passed through that area a little when I first got here." An idea suddenly came to me. Memories of the little shop I had passed that had given me the directions to Genkai's. Maybe they needed help. Kurama watched my facial expression carefully. "Care to share?" he asked casually as the bus approached. Paying our fees, I lead the way to the back of the bus where conversation would be a little more private.

Kurama sat besides me as I took the window. "Well, I was just remembering a little shop I passed on the outskirts of town before I made my way over here. He gave me directions here, and all seemed nice enough. So I was just wondering if they needed any help around the shop." Looking up into Kurama's eyes, he seemed to be considering it.

"Perhaps," he said after a few moments of silent contemplation. "And the name of the store?" I told him (Fiji Flowers and Gifts) and his eyes seemed to take on a more positive light, which boosted my spirits immensely. "I know of the store. It's a small chain here in this part of Japan that caters towards American and other foreign tourists. Shall we try there then?"

It was agreed then. Kurama and I got off at the right stop about 20 minutes later, and then I lead the way to the little shop I had gotten directions from the day before. It was a homey, quaint looking little place. The name of the store was painted in the window in a neat script, a couple of bouquets of fresh iris were displayed in the window. Probably the last ones of the season, since the heat was starting to get so bad.

"Shall we?" Kurama looked down at me and I replied with a nod, murmuring a small thank you as he opened the door for me. A tiny bell above the door chimed as we stepped inside, the fresh scent of flowers and stationary greeting us. I didn't see anyone around. Just the side of the shop for cards, postcards, and souvenirs while the other side of the store contained flowers and potted plants.

"Hello?" I asked tentatively to the air, wondering if I would get a response.

And I did.

"Yes?" There had been a curtain concealing what I guessed was the back room, and it was moved aside by a rather large hand to reveal an even larger figure. I felt Kurama stiffen besides me slightly as he took in the monstrosity before us. I don't mean monstrosity in the way that the guy was hideous. He was just HUGE. Bigger then Chu, and Chu is the biggest person (well, demon) I've ever met.

The nametag read Jori across his left breast, a chest broad and obviously muscled beneath the white polo shirt that held the company logo on the right breast pocket. My guess at his height was around 6'10. No lie. His arms were like bazooka's, rippling with power from even the simplest gestures he performed like moving aside the curtain and brushing the inky black curls from his eyes. His face was sculpted with high cheekbones, bright brown eyes, and tanned skin with a hint of stubble. He regarded us both with a tiny, surprisingly gentle smile as he rested his hands on his jean clad hips. His hips were more slender then the rest of him, and his legs were long the way his chest was broad. Both seemed powerful.

"How can I help you two today?" I felt an arm go around my waist, and turned beat red when I realized it was Kurama's. But it didn't seem romantic. More…hostile? Like a "back-the-fuck-off" kind of gesture. But his smile and eyes seemed friendly enough…

"My friend here is wondering if this store is hiring any extra help," he said smoothly, and the two locked eyes for a moment. This lasted only briefly, but the gesture unnerved me. It also confused the crap out of me, but it ended almost as quickly as it started as Jori turned his eyes towards me.

"An American eh? Kind of hard for me to even think of giving her a job if she can't even speak Japanese," said Jori with a tiny smirk. I turned my chin up stubbornly, "Don't assume so much, sir. As us American's say, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'." A small blink, and then the giant was laughing. I felt Kurama stiffen besides me a little, but he didn't say anything as Jori regained his composure once more.

"I like her," he told Kurama with a grin, and the red head relaxed and smiled slightly in return.

To sum up the rest of my morning: I got a job and my money converted into the proper currency.

* * *

Needless to say my grandmother was proud, but she showed it in her own…special way.

"Good. Now you can help pitch in around here more." I had barely walked into the kitchen when she tossed a rag at me and pointed to where the dojo was. "Go dust up after the dimwits. They left a little while ago." At first I was a little pouty, but I was in too good a mood to go and mope because I had to do a few chores. Changing into some jean shorts and a baggy black A7X T-shirt, I walked barefoot the dojo.

Sliding open the door, letting the late morning sunlight in, I noticed a brightly colored card on top of the TV. It had a bunch of kookie little drawings, from flowers to funny blue and black birds to a rose and a few other things that didn't make much sense. I opened the card and once again felt like crying.

It read:

**Congratulations Xannah!**

**Best wishes with this great start on a new beginning!**

Everyone signed it. Well, the only person who didn't I noticed was Hiei (big surprise there) but there was no love lost there. I was about to take the card and get going with the dusting when I noticed another, smaller card that had been resting on its back beneath the main one. Now THIS card was a tear jerker.

It was small, handmade with my name on the front. Opening, it was written in calligraphy, the symbols smoothly painted and meshing together into a beautiful script. Immediately, I knew it was Genkai's.

**You have grown into a very beautiful, strong young woman and I feel very fortunate to have you here with me.**

It wasn't signed, but I knew who wrote it. And she got a rather large hug as soon as I was done with dusting. Even though no words were shared, I think she knew this small type of encouragment were just the things I needed to help keep me going.

As of right now, things were going great and I had barely been there a day. However, in the back of my mind I was wondering how long such peace could last.

* * *

So sorry for the slight crappiness of this chapter. Wrote it in the back seat of the car during a 14 hour drive. Needless to say, it all sucked. Horribly.

I remember having said that I was going to wait for a few more reviews...but I'm not that patient hahaha. Thanks for the small amounts of love I have recieved though and will update soon-ish :)


	6. Skyway Avenue

Chapter 6: Skyway Avenue

Note: This chapter takes place a month after Chapter 5.

* * *

Brushing my hair from my eyes, I stared down at the assignment in front of me. The freshly dyed dark golden blonde mass kept falling into my eyes and it was bugging the shit out of me. Yukina did a nice job at cutting it the way I wanted, but I didn't realize how annoying having side bangs would be.

The question on my Psych. sheet stared at me like it was going to bite my head off.

_What (in your opinion) is the capacity that a human being has to love another? Is it even possible to "love" someone else with no boundaries or self-control? State your opinion, and try to use examples, quotations, and the works of other psychologists to support your ideas._

Around the time I got a job, I started classes at the community college. Which was nearby where Kuwabara and Kurama went to school. So once or twice a week the three of us would meet in between classes for coffee or lunch and talk about what was going on. Mainly it was about homework and day to day things. Kuwabara was the ever studious known psychic in the area pursuing a degree in psychology. Kurama was taking the more sophisticated route of a pharmacist.

Me, I was doing both, A psychiatrist.

So our interests meshed together and made it easier to talk to one another. Plus, I loved hearing them tell stories about their lives, both as Spirit Detectives and beforehand. You come to learn a lot about people when they talk about their pasts.

I see Yusuke too. Every Tuesday night I go to his ramen stand. Once I even dragged Genkai with me, and every now and then Yukina will go. Usually I'm solo, or one of the boys will come with. Or both of them. Even Chuu, Rinku, Touya, Jin, Shishi, and Suzuka (the latter two I met a week or so after coming here when the demons came back for a visit. Except for Hiei of course) came and tried Yusuke's ramen.

Needless to say, life is peaceful.

Which still hasn't deterred from the homework in front of me.

Running a hand through my hair, I read the question over and over and over again. Trying to find a way to put my thoughts down on paper. To answer all the aspects of this without screwing anything up. Because already Dr. Mihara was out to get me because I was "the American". Yep. Locally, I barely even had a name. It was just "that American girl" or in some cases "Master Genkai/Genkai Baa-san's granddaughter". My scar was never mentioned though (not to my knowledge). It made me want to throw my middle finger in the air.

I have a freakin' name.

It's Xannah. Xannah Marie Diegos.

Yep. Italian origins with a Spanish last name. Go figure right?

I shoved back from my little desk and stood up to stretch. I had gotten all my other work done except for the last bits of my Psychologist homework. It wasn't that I didn't know what to do with it. I was just having a hard time putting my thoughts to paper. Evidence and support weren't hard to find either. It was just my jumbled mind being a bit of a brat.

Yawning again, my bare feet took me out of my room and down the hall to the kitchen. Genkai and Yukina weren't around, so the first thing I went for was the fridge. I got a small coffee cup (don't ask why I do that) and poured some Cocoa Puffs imitation cereal into the little cup, added milk and there was my snack. I had barely sat down at the table, munching as I went, when my grandma came into view.

"Hi grandma," I chirped lightly, tilting my head a little as she stood in her normal posture: arms behind her back and her naturally austere expression. She glanced down at my treat and smirked. "Cereal again? Don't you ever eat any normal food?" My response was a cheeky grin. In retaliation, the old lady gave my cheek a hard little pinch as she walked past.

"Ow!" My glare was half hearted and playful as I rubbed my cheek. Finishing eating, I glanced over at the clock. My shift at Fiji started in roughly an hour. Enough time to fix up my hair and make up a little before catching the bus. A goofy smile came to my lips as I sat in front of my vanity mirror, looking at my reflection, glasses and all.

Ok, ok so I'll admit that I had a little crush on Jori. I was a sucker for the big, strong, strapping types. And he seemed like such a cuddly teddy bear deep down, and his smile made me melt. Shaking my head to clear it of some of the girlier, more X-rated ideas, I went back to what I was doing.

* * *

By now I had gotten used to the drive and the overall commute to Fiji Flowers and Gifts. I even began to note regulars on the bus ride, as well as the driver who normally drove the route. It had become a comfortable experience for me now.

My iPod was blaring the passionate ballad of Within Temptation's "Utopia". Eyes closing, I estimated by the time the song ended I'd be at my stop. The lyrics were calming to me, and the male and female voices blended in nicely together.

"_Why does it rain, rain, rain,_

_Down on Utopia._

_Why does it have to kill,_

_The idea of who we are?"_

**Rain…I forgot this part of the song. **Memories began to come back and I silently cursed to myself. Shit! Not now. I do NOT need to go to work looking like a Debbie Downer. It'll scare off the customers. Self consciously, I glanced at my reflection in the bus window as the song began to come to an end and we were pulling up to my stop.

Called it.

My expression had softened and taken on a more somber appearance as it stared back at me from the window. Shaking my head a little and relieved when another, more cheerful tune came on ("Bat Country" by A7X) that lifted my spirits, I stood up. Saying goodbye to the driver and some of the regulars I knew, I headed into Fiji.

The familiar scents of the store helped calm me even further. Fresh cut flowers, the crisp aroma of stationary, and the light rubbery scent which came from the balloons in the corner next to the container of helium. I couldn't help but smile. Unlike most people my age, I actually liked my job.

The main reason for that was behind the cash register.

Jori wore a dark red polo today, with his usual work jeans. His hair fell into his eyes slightly as he looked like he was beginning to do one of the least likable chores on the job: balancing the daily income. He faint beeps as he began to add up the day's profits so far were in the air as I tossed him a fairly easy grin.

"Hey Jor," I said, as we were both informal with each other. Part of it had to do with Jori's experience having been in America for a short time. The other had to do with the friendship that had budded despite an awkward and slightly confusing first encounter.

Looking up, the larger and slightly older man flashed me a grin that lit up his eyes magnificently. Hot damn did he have nice eyes. He didn't say anything at first as I clocked into the cash register besides him. We were so close for a moment that I could feel body heat coming from him.

"Hello Xan." His delayed greeting was breathed into my ear.

This was going to be an interesting shift.

* * *

(Jumping outside of Xannah for a moment or two)

"And so you suspect something more sinister at work?"

"I do. I sensed it when we walked into the shop and his energy flared just at the sound of her voice. And not in a friendly manner I'm afraid."

A third voice spoke. "Do you believe she is in any danger?"

The second voice spoke up now after a moment of silent contemplation. "Nothing has happened in the past month. I believe all is well…for the moment. But every day I feel more unease. Something doesn't sit well with me."

The third voice: "Hiei, could you start to follow her again?"

Hiei glared over at the speaker from his perch in the shadows of the dojo. The eyes on him only made his small frown deepen, though he spoke no more. One minute he was there, and in the next he was gone.

* * *

Sorry for the bit of delay. Had a small bout of writer's block but now I'm back for the moment!


	7. Anthem of the Angels

Chapter 7: Anthem of the Angels

Warning: Graphic scenes in this chapter. Nothing too big. Just some fighting and cursing and disturbing scenes. Cursing coming mainly from Xannah.

* * *

My shift passed with nothing interesting going on. Well, nothing out of the ordinary anyways. Jori flirted, I flirted back. A few tourists came through, one of whom was American like me and ecstatic to find someone else to communicate with in easy-to-understand English. Jori wasn't too bad himself, but his English carried an odd accent the way his Japanese did.

Come to think of it, in the month since I started working here I still know very little about him. In fact…what was his last name even? I glanced up at him as I clocked out, and his return smile made me grin slowly. Oh whatever, like it matters. Some people keep work separate from their every day life. Nothing wrong with that.

Right? Right.

The sky was a pleasant, inky black. Stars were barely visible due to the lights of the nearby city, but still it was beautiful in it's way. I closed my eyes for a moment, hearing the faint sounds of Jori locking up shop as well as the far off sounds of the city. I felt tranquil to say the least. Adjusting my iPod a bit more, I started walking down the faintly lit dirt road off the main road that lead to my bus stop. I was ready to go home, eat some dinner, and hopefully TRY to finish my homework…

With that thought, my iPod just had to die on me suddenly.

"Shit," I cursed softly to myself in English, and started to fumble in my pocket. I had stopped off the side of the road, so I was not in the path of any cars (doubtful any would pass this way any time soon. It was almost 9…I think). Growling in frustration, I saw my iPod wasn't dead but frozen. Nothing would work and it wasn't even shutting off.

Cursing again, I went to check my phone for the time. The bus came around 9:15 for the last run of the night. Strange…I kept clicking on various buttons. My phone had frozen too. Biting my lower lip with some nervousness at the odd, inconvenient coinkydink, I sped up my walking pace.

"Xannah."

"Aahh!" I spun around, heart pounding after my little scream of surprise to see…Jory? He was standing there as if he had been there the whole time, hands in his pockets and looming like a large Renaissance statue. Though of course, he wasn't naked.

"Don't SCARE me like that you ass!" I was still breathing a little heavily, and he only flashed me his charming smile that made my lips twitch, on the verge of a smile.

* * *

Have you ever watched cartoons as a kid?

With villains who make these long, stupid speeches before they even attempt to kill the good guy? By then the good guy has figured out a way to escape and all is right with the world and everything goes peachy perfect for the rest of their lives. That's what we're all used too.

This is real life. And things don't happen that way.

I won't say this all happened in a blur, because to me I saw everything with an almost frightening clarity. Jori's hand suddenly started to glow. Not a faint shimmery color, but a bright, cosmic Crayola purple. He didn't even say anything, and before I had time to do anything, the…glowing mass was tossed at me with a frightening speed.

"Get down!"

Those words were neither Jori's nor my own. I felt my hair swirl around my face as I was tackled to the dirt, feeling a small dust cloud come up and form around me and whoever else it was that tackled me. Whoever it was warm, almost hot to the touch through their clothes, and my eyes finally managed to flutter open in the brief second after I was brought to the ground.

I looked into Hiei's eyes. They were a startling red…but they had a very faint undertone of brown. I had never seen that before.

I saw Jori from the corner of my eye (unmoved and expressionless except for his faint smile) as another purple mass of light formed on his hand and he tossed it at Hiei and I.

"Shit!" Hiei didn't seem fazed. Faster than I could even fully register until much later, Hiei scooped me up and jumped backwards as if I weighed nothing, the mass flying past where we had been less then a second before until it made contact with a bush and just…poofed.

As lame as it sounded, it's the only way I could explain it suddenly disappearing like it was never there.

Hiei didn't hold me for long. He dropped me to my feet almost harshly before he went at Jori, katana in hand. I didn't realize how fast he was until now, but Jori seemed two steps ahead of him. Hiei went to swipe his katana down on Jori's head like he was about to crack open a watermelon, but Jori managed to almost gracefully duck out of the way.

"Sonofabitch," I whimpered, looking around for something, anything to hide behind or use to defend myself in case bad went to worse. There was nothing of substance anywhere, besides some bushes and trees. I looked back at the two, and now both of Jori's hands were glowing as he was parrying Hiei's attacks with both hands. The blade didn't seem to be affecting him.

Now my mind was racing.

What. The. FUCK? One minute Jori's all sweet and then he's trying to kill me? My stomach suddenly felt very nauseous, and I almost wanted to be sick. Like a string had been cut, memories flooded back into my mind, and my vision blurred and my scar burned.

* * *

"**We're going to get out of here. They'll get tired of us soon." A smile, soft and empty. "You'll see."**

**A teddy bear with a white bow, dark brown with dried blood.**

**A little girl with her two front teeth missing smiled at me as I held my arms open to her and she crawled into my lap, closing her pretty blue eyes and falling asleep. She was naked, as was I and the other two people in the room with us.**

"**Xannah." An older man, in his early 40s with a kind smile and his half broken glasses. "You need to do me a favor. All of us. You need to LIVE. For us…for the ones who didn't make it out of this ali..ive.." His eyes dimmed, and he let the warm embrace of death and morphine take him.**

"**Xannah."**

"**Xannah…"**

"Wake up."

**I don't want to wake up again…**

"Hn."

**I was still there, in the past. My scar fresh and festering with the stench of burning flesh and hydrochloric acid. I was naked, beaten, bloodied, and alone in this little stone room. Like I have been. Like I ALWAYS have been…**

**But Hiei was here now. Standing in front of me. Our eyes met, I think for the first time. Before it was just staring contests. But now we actually LOOKED at each other.**

"You'll never get out of this," he said. "Not until you move forward again." **I stared down at my hands. The bleeding nails and various other little nicks and scrapes. Then my eyes met his. "How?" Did my voice always sound this small and pitiful? Dammit. I hated this-**

"Xannah." **Him calling my name got my attention once again as I gazed over to him. I rarely ever heard him say anyone's name. Come to think of it, I don't think I have heard him call someone by their given name. **Hiei was looking at me, almost quizzical in his gaze as he continued to look at me. Almost like he was studying me, trying to figure something out.

"**Don't look at me," I whispered. I felt like crying. I felt so tainted and ugly standing before him like this. "Don't look at me…" **In a rather unexpected gesture, he held both hands out a little ways from him, palms up. His eyes continued to look at me.

**There were no reassuring words from him. I was lucky to get what I did. But as I started to cry like a frightened child that I had always been on the inside, I stumbled forward into him. His arms didn't go around me, and there were no passionate embraces or fiery kisses or words of comfort. **

**Then I realized that despite the fact this was all in my head, I could feel him. Actually feel the roughened material of his black shirt and smell the scent of sweat and blood. Almost right after our bodies made contact, everything seemed to just melt away.**

* * *

Thank you to all my lovely reviewers Hope you enjoyed! More to come.


	8. I'm your puppet

Chapter 8: I'm your puppet

* * *

First thing I felt was a head ache. Followed by a migraine that I felt could make me scream aloud in pain. I would kill for an aspirin right now. Hells, I wanted to just kill something. Waking up with a sudden feeling of animosity was new to me. And then I realized why I was so cranky.

My hand, as well as my head, was the source of the pain.

I looked over at my left hand, which was lying limply at my side. It looked fine. But it hurt too much to even flex it. Like the feeling you get when you've been holding onto something really hard and then suddenly letting go. I tried to flex it again and flinched.

My eyes adjusted to the light (it was still dark, night time) in the room…my room. But…how did I get here?

Then I heard voices.

Was that…Kuwabara?

"I went to her professors and picked up her work. I made it seem like she was really sick and they were all convinced." I heard the sound of paper slapping against the table, and my brow furrowed a little. Wait…I had school today! Double shit! I went to try to bound out of bed…but I couldn't move.

"Good." Grandma? "She'll need a few days to recover and get her strength back. As for her energy…well…not sure what can be done about that." She sounded a little tired, a little worn. My kick ass little granny sounded…well, old.

"How do you think she'll react?" Yusuke now. It seemed like the guys were all there. Maybe even Hiei was around somewhere. I tried to sit up now, but I couldn't even manage that. I felt so tired and weak. For some reason, my scar was tingling. Which was weird, because it never did that.

"Hard to tell," Genkai said, and I could imagine her taking a pull on her pipe. I could actually see it clearly in my mind, like I was there, sitting at the table with all of them.

Genkai spoke again. "After Xannah's ordeal, her father wrote me. Which was surprising considering Xannah's mother no longer acknowledges me in any way. In fact, I only ever saw Xannah twice. Once when she was 3, and the other time when she was 10. After that, nothing." Another pause. Her voice had grown a tad darker. More…bitter?

"Xannah was diagnosed with PTSD and has had frequent episodes of vivid flashbacks. Sometimes they have been so severe she would fall into a self induced coma until it passed. Doctors say it's a form of protecting herself from the things her mind is trying to desperately to suppress."

"What…what happened to her?" Kuwabara's voice.

"Torture."

I felt my breath catch in my throat. That was Hiei. Then that flashback…!

He saw then.

"Torture?" Yusuke sounded a bit quizzical, but his voice held an edge of dread. It sounded the way someone said something aloud, as if to confirm suspicions they already had.

There was silence, then Hiei spoke again. "When she collapsed, my Jagan caught flashes of her memories. They were faint, but of her and others locked in a stone room, covered in bruises, cuts, scars…there is no doubt they were tortured, in the cruelest of ways."

More silence. Genkai however was the one to break it once more. "Xannah was part of a student exchange program. A program for students in her school to travel abroad and study and gain more insight into other places of the world. Xannah and 3 of her friends went to London with some other students."

"During a night out, Xannah was kidnapped...and put into human trafficking."

"No way…" Kuwabara sounded a little choked up. "People die every day from crap like that! If they took her that mean she must've been..ra…r…" He couldn't say it. One of the highest dishonors to Kuwabara was a man hurting a woman. Rape was the top of the list and it shamed him to even say the word out loud.

"I had my suspicions about what had happened to her. That international trafficking bust…Xannah was the American girl who exposed them wasn't she?" Kurama's question settled and Genkai gave a quiet affirmative. I could barely hear her over the roar in my ears of my pounding heart.

"So then the scar on her face…?" Yusuke's question was answered by, of all people, Hiei.

"More than likely another form of torture. When I was in her mind, I could smell burning flesh."

"Hydrochloric acid," Kurama confirmed softly. "Hydrochloric acid, when not handled correctly, can cause severe burns to a person's skin. It was an effective way of torture, and probably still is in this day and age. Its marks are different than that of the burns from a fire."

"That Jori guy who attacked Xannah…think he was part of the crime ring?" Yusuke's guess was as good as mine. There were hundreds of men (and even some women) involved. And that was only one branch, and God knew how many others. I felt like a dumbass, having temporarily forgotten how I had been warned of possible revenge killings and psychopathic mobs.

"More than likely. In cases like these it's fairly common for someone like Xannah to become a main target. However, she came to Japan in a very discreet way under a false name and identity. With her scar she's hard to miss in a crowd. Or in security surveillance videos," said Genkai.

"What plan of action shall we take next?" It was Kurama who spoke, and his words made me smile a little through my panic. Good ol' strategic Kurama. Always trying to plan for any possible outcome and staying one step ahead of the game.

"The best we can do is keep her under watch for a little while, to see if anyone else decides to come after her," said Yusuke. "Right now she's not in the best shape to be around people. Or out in the open." I could hear small words of agreement. Then Hiei's voice broke through once again.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Huh…?

"She's probably still asleep."

"Not exactly." I could hear something that was akin to smugness in his voice. "She's been awake for the past 15 minutes. And her mind is still linked with mine, so she can hear us even all the way out here in the dojo."

My eyes snapped open so wide they almost hurt.

* * *

Can you move yet?

Hiei's voice was INSIDE my head. I started to freak out (whimpering, squirming, and flinching at the voice), but I managed to still myself long enough to check myself over and see what the extent of the damage was.

I tried to flex my hand, and it was still sore but manageable. I tried to sit up again, and managed it with a weak grunt. My body felt sore and achy, like I had been running and exercising all day. Drowsiness flowed over me and I was hit with the urge to just go back to sleep. Curl under the covers and forget that everyone knew my secrets…knew what happened to me…

"Get out of my head!"

Hn. I can't.

What the hell?

"Of course you can!" I growled to the dark, empty air. "You have that eye…thingy! You could turn me into a zombie if you wanted too for Christ's sake."

If I could I would. His tone had gone dry, and a little irritated. But after your little "episode", our minds forged a link and not even I can sever it. My eyes narrowed as I thought about that. "So…because I passed out and you invaded my SPACE we're stuck together? For how long?"

How should I know?

No help what so ever then.

I heard that he said dryly, and I heard footsteps come to my room and the sliding door open. And there stood my grandmother. She didn't use any source of light and I didn't need one. I had adjusted to the darkness and I assume she had as well. God there was a lot of explaining to do…

What the hell had happened to me?

"How do you feel?" Her voice was quieter as she slid the door shut behind her. Her feet made small thumping noises as she went and sat beside me, legs crossed as well as her arms. "I feel alright," was my tiny reply. Now I felt like a chickenshit. Like a little kid who got scolded and was now awaiting punishment. Which was stupid because I didn't do anything wrong. Hell, I barely remember what happened.

"Like crap," I murmured, nuzzling closer into the blankets. I felt a small pressure on my forehead, and froze a little. However, it softened when I realized Genkai was feeling my forehead. It was such a normal gesture, but coming from the fairly reserved old woman felt nice. It showed that she cared. Not that I had ever doubted that, but you know…she's Genkai. She did stuff on her own and in her own way.

"Do you remember anything that happened with Jori and Hiei?" I shook my head. "Nothing after the first few seconds of the fight…I passed out after that." I didn't like how she started to stroke my hair. It was such a soft, sentimental gesture coming from my grandma.

Now don't get me wrong. Having my hair touched and stroked is one of my biggest weaknesses. I turn into a total lush when it comes to my neck and hair. I suddenly felt a clenching in my stomach.

"Jori's dead."

I closed my eyes, having been expecting this deep down. I didn't feel too bad about it. He tried to kill me and Hiei for God's sake. But my stomach still clenched as a small sniffle broke past my defenses and I leaned a little more into Genkai's touch. Asking her in a tiny voice, I murmured, "What happened after Hiei killed him?"

Her fingers, which had been lightly stroking the silky hairs by my temples, paused.

"Hiei wasn't the one who killed Jori, Xannah."

Looking up at her, she was looking at me, as if wanting me to crack this on my own without her assistance. My eyes stared back into hers, seeing the ages of weariness and how nothing seemed to fade this old bat anymore. How everything could just be so unfair in life, and she had more then likely seen EXACTLY how unfair things could be.

"Was it one of the boys? Another hitman?"

"No, Xannah."

I think my heart just fucking stopped, ya'll.

"Now just hold on a minute." I adjusted myself more so I was staring at her hard. And she just stared right back at me. "I passed out," I iterated slowly, as if speaking to a smaller child, trying to get them to understand a simple concept. "Jori was still alive when I passed out."

"You didn't pass out," said Genkai as her eyes slowly closed. "Your mind transcended into what's called the Second State. When a living being is cornered or threatened enough, their subconscious takes over as a type of defense mechanism, giving new strengths and energy. Another way is called going beserk."

"And this applies to me HOW…?"

"You slipped into the Second State, Xannah." Genkai's tone was a little sharper then I think she meant it to be because I naturally shied away from it and she softened around the edges before continuing. "Hiei had to break into your mind and pull you back into yourself. You slipped into the Second State-"

"Don't."

"-and had a burst of Spiritual Energy that knocked both boys back-"

"Please grandma don't-"

"-before you all but jumped on Jori and tore him apart-"

"NO!"

"-limb by limb with barely a touch of your Spirit Engery."

"SHUT UP!" I was staring at her, tears falling before I knew it. "I didn't kill anyone granny! I would never kill any-" Her finger went to my lips to silence me, and her eyes were heart breakingly soft. "I know," she whispered, "that you would NEVER do this. That is why no one blames you, because you can't control something like this. It is as deep and dark as the human's animal instincts to survive and mate. Everyone has it and no one can change that."

By now I was all but sobbing, holding myself tightly as I cried my eyes out. It had felt like ages since I cried like this. I became the thing I had always feared and never wanted to become. My body shook and I coughed and choked and hiccupped and more or less went into an extreme mode of panic and self loathing and disgust and agony.

* * *

Not even Hiei's cries to pull myself together helped, even though in the back of my mind I was wondering how this was affecting him with our minds so intimately connected.

It was only until Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara came in, tugging my arms and legs away from myself in my tight little ball so Kurama could make sure I wasn't seizuring or having a panic attack and then deftly slipped something into my mouth in the oddest of ways (mouth to mouth folks) that I finally calmed. Faintly, I could feel something else through my haze that wasn't Kurama's homemade tranquilizer or Genkai's small words of comfort.

I sounded like a lullaby.

Happy for the temporary release from the pain, I listened to the soft baritone voice singing in a language I didn't recognize before I fell asleep with my head on Kurama's lap.

* * *

Yay for longer chapter And sorry if some folks are like "WTF?" to them putting her under. It isn't exactly what it seems, and will be explained next chapter in more depths.

Also, the unbreakable, weird mind link is one of many steps that help Hiei and Xannah get a little closer. One of quite a few steps.

Two big revelations for my readers and those who favorited and story alerted GWINRW. I hope you all enjoyed. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun writing a ficcy.

Last thing: While Xannah was panicking, picture someone who's having half anxiety and or panic attack plus a minor seizure. Yeah, she freaked out THAT much. While Kuwabara held her arms and Yusuke held her legs to keep her from curling up again, Kurama placed her head in his lap. Afraid she may bite him or something of that nature, he resorted to good ol' mouth to mouth. This is how her head ended up on his lap. Cya soon!


	9. Science and Faith

Chapter 9: Science and Faith

* * *

I awoke to a familiar pain in my hand, and once again my body ached. Yet I also felt totally at ease. Cloudlike. Like any moment I was going to float up through the ceiling and past the clouds and stars and novae and into blissful space and time-

Two things hit me at once.

First were the events of last night, which made my body feel cold and blood roar in my ears like a bitchy lioness.

Second…well, I actually was floating.

"What the FUCK?" I felt my heart jump into my throat and I squirmed, distantly registering the fact that I was in shorts and a T shirt and suspended in mid air. Floating was cool, don't get me wrong, but it was not the best way to wake up after an extremely stressful night. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red and then a certain SOMEONE was floating over me.

Be quiet growled Hiei in my mental ear as I stared into Jin's bright blue eyes. He's trying to keep you from hurting yourself you stupid girl. I could feel Hiei's irritation at my loudness at 8 in the morning, but who gave a shit? Not me. Especially not right now.

"Ummm…Jin darling? Why am I FLOATING?" I kept my voice light and nice and sweet and polite goddammit, and shot this at Hiei, who answered with his normal response of an Hn. 

His ears twitched, his normal grin on his face. "It's cuz ya keep thrashing in your sleep and blowing up and the likes. When I levimatated ya, you quieted so Genkai had me keep you that way." I blinked. "'Blowing up'…?" He nodded, slowly the two of us coming back to Earth together. Jin held both of my hands to steady me as my feet met flat, hard surface. My floor.

"Aye, you've been worse than a fussy little babe yeh have." He gave a sage nod and my response was to tilt my head in a "WTF" position, my eyes narrowed slightly among other things. I could hear the sound of cooking and faintly smell some kind of stir fry. It took me a moment or two to distinguish between what I was seeing and experiencing and what bat boy was doing. Though I found it getting surprisingly easier as the seconds passed and my brain acclimated.

"Your Spirit Energy," said Jin. "It's been bursting out of ya randomly all night."

"How long have you been here?"

"For about an hour or so. I relieved Kuwabara, poor human was dead tired." Again Jin gave another sage nod, which was kind of humorous considering his overall appearance as being…well, Jin. "But why would-" I stopped myself then. Of course. Last night…the Second State…!

I killed Jori. I was a murderer of another human.

* * *

The more you think about it the worse the pain will become. I wouldn't say Hiei's voice was soft, but it was definitely not as apathetic and as Hiei-ish as normal. Trying my hand at mentally speaking, I murmured using only my mind, **You actually sound nice for once.**

Don't flatter yourself. You being the hag's descendant is the only thing keeping me from severing this link…permanently.

**That and the fact that if you DO kill me, you'll be locked up in Spirit World for Enma only knows how long.**

I didn't get a response to that, instead I smelled the outdoor air and the smell of fresh pine. He had left the temple and went outside. Typical. I could tell he was irritated (when wasn't he irritated?) so I turned my attention back to Jin, tucking some golden blonde hair behind my ear and out of my eyes.

"Where's Genkai?"

"I'm right here."

I spun around, seeing her in the doorway. Our eyes met, and I don't know what prompted me to do it. Maybe it was what happened last night, or the realization of what I've done having finally sunk in. Either way, I went from standing in front of Jin to going into the safety of my grandmother's embrace. Because even though she was small and old, her presence gave me great strength. I think she knew this, because she hugged me tightly, and lightly stroked my hair before saying something to Jin I didn't catch.

Next thing I knew, we were alone in my room again.

"Xannah." I looked at her and her expression had turned from soft to more serious and business like. Taking that as her cue to want to talk, I went and sat on my bed like an obedient puppy, waiting for her to continue speaking. She watched me for a moment and then sat in front of me.

"After your slip into the Second State, your spirit energy has awakened." My brow rose at this and my voice was dry and a little more biting, "So me killing this guy gave me super powers?" Her glare was all bark and no bite, and I ignored it as I continued.

"What happens now? You start me on some kind of super training session like in those manga books that give me super everything and I can go kick some mojo? Or have one of the guys train me? No offense, but I don't feel like letting my inner kink out while Kurama teaches me how to use a whip."

A very slow smirk met her lips. I didn't like when Genkai smirked like that.

Not one itty bitty bit.

"Not exactly."

The sliding door opened, revealing a tall teenager with a pacifier in his mouth.

* * *

An hour later, I found myself in front of the temple, a few yards away and facing the demi god before me. He was studying me, and I won't lie: I was nervous. He was scrutinizing me and glancing between me and Genkai. The grass felt cold between my bare toes, and I was glad for the soft summer sun.

Both him and Genkai explained what they were going to do. I was nervous. And annoyed.

Nervous because they were about to seal my newly awakened spirit energy into the scar on my face.

Annoyed, because of who they chose to have the power to undo the binding.

"Hn."

"Oh shut up."

Koenma cast a wary glance to Genkai, who was on the porch with Kurama, Yusuke, Jin, Yukina, and Touya. Kuwabara was still asleep and nobody wanted to wake him up. "Are you sure Hiei's the wisest choice for this, Genkai?"

"For some reason her and Hiei now share a mental link after Hiei slipped into her mind to try and bring her out of the Second State. Now even he can't sever it. Such an intimate connection is valuable in this, for he can keep an eye on her energy and emotions more so then any of us can."

I felt my mouth open a little. "Wait so he's my babysitter now?" I wasn't upset. I wasn't annoyed. I wasn't even irritated. Oh no. I was MAD. I felt some heat flood to my cheeks in my anger and I shot a glare at Genkai, feeling Hiei's glance resting on me. He was like me, irritated and upset. Though he didn't show it. His amusement at my reaction was temporarily overriding everything. And I started to despise him for it.

I traveled this far to try and gain some semblance of independence. To break away from being controlled or babysat. I wanted to do my own thing GOD DAMMIT. Hiei sent me a warning growl against the intensity of my thoughts. Another nifty trick I learned so far: You can change the volume of your thoughts quite easily. I sent him a growl right back and distantly heard Jin stage whisper to Yusuke, "Oi wonder if this is going to be a good idea…"

"If not it's going to be funny as hell," he replied, and I shot him a glare. I hoped he burned in hell, I really did.

"It's only temporary Xannah," said Koenma as he tried to soothe my anger with calm words. "You need at least a little guidance with this or your energy will be exploding all over the place like stepping on land mines." I turned my gaze to him, and it must've been a scary sight indeed for him to look uneasy. Looks like I know where I got my glare from.

"Part of the reason why I came to Japan in the first place was to be able to finally have some form of independence. Not having to rely on some arrogant little bat to keep me in line," I said hotly, arms crossed, my baggy shirt billowing softly against my tummy and bare short clad legs with the breeze. I was still mad, and it wasn't getting any better as every second passed.

Koenma sighed. "Just…don't move alright? Neither of you move." I may have still been mad, but I'm smart enough to know when not to mess with this kind of shit. With that being said, I rested my arms at my side and felt Hiei do the same as we both went still as Koenma began to chant.

The words were nothing like the lullaby I heard earlier, but from the chanting, I heard Genkai saying something smugly to Touya.

"I also chose Hiei because one of the few things to calm Xannah down in her sleep was to hold his hand."

So THAT'S why my hand was hurting!

"Get ready!" My eyes snapped to Koenma, and I suddenly felt my toes growing cold. Looking down, I saw that I was glowing. Not the same intense Crayola color as Jori's was (at this thought my heart clenched) but a soft, more transparent burgundy. It was spreading, along with the delicate chill. Hiei's thoughts were calm and confident.

Which in a way I wasn't ready to admit yet. That his thoughts helped me.

Squeaking slightly, both Hiei and I started to float. It wasn't anything too big. Just a foot or so off the ground. But it still felt weird to not have any control over what was happening to me, and naturally I felt uneasy at the idea. And wanted to do anything in my power to stop it so I struggled a little.

"Stop."

My eyes went to Hiei, who was looking over at me.

"The more you fight this the more uncomfortable it's going to be for us." I felt my heart pound at the simple use of the word "us". Because then it really hit me how in this situation we were in this. Together and whether we liked it or not. I looked over at him and our eyes met, but even with our mind link I didn't understand the emotions I found there.

The burgundy glow enveloped both of our bodies completely, and then the glow surrounding me began to get sucked into my scar like a vacuum. My cheek felt frozen, and I squirmed and whimpered at the icy sensation that felt so much like winter. It reminded me of home. It reminded me of my mom-

"Hiei, now!" shouted Koenma.

My eyes had fluttered closed as I fought off this chill, feeling my brow furrow distantly through the cold. Hiei seemed conflicted, and it made me uneasy as I tried to focus more so what was happening. Then I felt warmth. Oh my freakin' God beautiful, beautiful, beautiful warmth that I wanted to smother and hold and never let go of-

I could hear a word said, something short and simple and bittersweet, but it was hard to tell what the word was or who was saying it. Everything seemed very fuzzy and almost cloudlike as I wrapped my arms around the warmth and held it close.

It wasn't until the warmth spread to my lips that I opened my eyes. It was disturbing indeed. Even more so because at the moment I really didn't give two shits that Hiei was kissing me, the last of the chill fading with that simple contact. His eyes never closed with the contact, and he continued to stare at me. I stared back at him.

Slowly, we floated back down to the ground, the glow gone and my body feeling normal if not warm and fuzzy. I refused to think of it as coming from Hiei's kiss. As soon as we came to touch the ground, He released me roughly and vanished like the shadow he was known for becoming.

* * *

A little romance (kinda sorta) for my reviewers and the like. I love how I'm getting the original idea jive going on. I feel kinda proud of myself. I've avoided any and all cliché's I could so far. If anyone wants to draw any pics based on what I have so far, go ahead I'd love to see it More coming soon!

abu. Maybe it was what happened last night, or the realization of what I'he temple and went outside


	10. Teenage Dream

Chapter 10: Teenage Dream

* * *

I just stood there for a minute or two, in shock (to say the very least) as Koenma walked over to me. I couldn't find my voice to speak as he lightly touched my scar like a doctor examining a wound. The touch made me flinch ever so slightly, though not with pain or uneasiness. Just at the intimacy of physical contact. Right now I wasn't really in the mood to handle it.

"Seems like everything went alright with the binding and the Maiden's Kiss." Genkai and Yusuke came over now, followed by Jin and Touya with little Yukina in tow. "Umm…Maidens Kiss?"

"Like in the fairytales," said Yusuke. "Only you don't need prince charming to come along to wake you up. It could be anybody with a bond with you." I began to lightly rub at my temples while I felt all eyes on me. I wondered where Kurama had run off too. Gazing over to Koenma, I asked simply why it had to be Hiei of all people.

"Hiei was the best candidate do to the link your minds share. Genkai could've been next to deliver it, or a best friend or other relative, but we had to do with what we had available to us. Flying you back to America wouldn't exactly be the smartest thing in your previous condition." His words sounded faint to me.

My mind kept lingering on the kiss. Not because it was mind-blowingly-amazing or anything like that. But do to the suddenness of the gesture, and how empty it was. Sure I had been kissed before. I had been with another person in the physical ways common to most American kids my age and then some. But whenever I had been kissed before there was feeling. Emotion, passion, affection, and friendliness were associated with kissing.

Hiei was…different.

He didn't kiss the way normal people did. Then again Hiei wasn't considered normal. His lips were slightly chapped, but still soft. They didn't even move. Well, maybe a little but I was probably just imagining that on my own. And his eyes never closed. They were constantly on me the whole time, and the feel of his energy mixing with my mine…I shivered so hard that Genkai asked if I was alright.

The color yellow was the only thing to describe the whole experience. Warm, soft, and fluid. Like someone was pouring liquid warmth into my veins through the chills.

Feeling a migraine coming on, I finally heard the other people around me.

"So now what's going to happen?" It was the normally quiet Touya to ask this question. I looked at him, then over to Genkai and Koenma for answers. Koenma answered easily, and I found myself wondering how he managed to be so articulate around the pacifier in his mouth.

"Now we wait out the day to see how both fair. Kurama went with Hiei, and you all should stay with Xannah," said the princeling as he met eyes with Yusuke, who nodded in return. "Sure, we don't have anything going on today. We'll take it easy and see how things go." My eyes narrowed. "Umm…hello? I'm right here guys."

"You don't have much of a choice right now, Xannah," said Genkai, leveling me with an even look that made me sigh. There was no arguing with her when she got to be like this. I was stuck here. For at least the day and it was going to be shitty. But at least I had the others, yeah? That had to count for something. Putting my hands on my hips, pushing the thought of Hiei's kiss from my mind, I looked over at Yukina.

"Shall we start on breakfast or something Yukina?" Her smile brightened my day almost instantly as she nodded. "Sure," was her reply, and the two of us headed towards the kitchen together.

* * *

The morning passed by with little incidence. Yukina and I busied ourselves with making lots of food for the brunch that had turned into a munch fest for a slew of demons, humans, and one demi god. A year ago I would've thought all of this stuff was fake and I was tripping on some sort of potent drug to go this far.

But I wasn't.

This was my life now. As odd and confusing and as beautiful as it was, it was MINE. No one else's'.

The afternoon passed nicely as well. Yusuke and Jin were good at distracting me, and even though I saw through them most of the time, I still appreciated the gestures. Movies, board games…it was like when I was younger when I didn't feel good and my friends would sneak over and play games with me to help pass the time.

Sitting on the futon in my room with Jin, Yusuke, Yukina, and Touya was entertaining. Mainly because I was teaching them how to play Monopoly, my favorite game. We were in the first 15 minutes of the game, and so far I owned all the railroads, Yusuke owned the utilities, and Jin had just obtained New York Avenue. Touya and Yukina had no properties but were narrowly missing having to fork over any money to the rest of us. Kuwabara was watching us as the banker, well, watching Yukina.

Then Yukina rolled a 4. Which landed her on Boardwalk.

"I'd like to buy it," she murmured with a shy smile. I thought the poor guy was going to melt in his shoes at the sight of the little ice maiden's smile. Hell I even wanted to melt in my shoes because the little red eyed maiden was adorable in every sense of the word.

Ok, ok I admit. I have a total girl crush on Yukina. Leave me alone.

"That's a good property, Yukina," commented Touya with a small, encouraging smile. "Thanks," she replied as Yusuke rolled. "Money, money, money," he grumbled with his gaze fixated intently on Park Place, which he was 6 paces away from. I couldn't help but roll my eyes with a smile. And right before he rolled, I innocently looked at him until he met my eyes.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"Huh?" At that moment his concentration was broken and he released the dice. "Shit!" The dice rolled and rolled, one happening to land on a three. I think we all held our breath as the other dice skittered to the very edge of the board and sat on the tip for a second…before landing on a two.

"Dammit Xannah that wasn't cool!" growled the detective, and we all laughed as he silently fumed and pouted. I smiled, grabbing the dice to make my move. Right before I did (I should've seen this coming) Yusuke casually asked, "So is Hiei a good kisser?"

I had let the dice slip from my hand. I got a 7, which landed me on Free Parking. Did I mention there was 1670 monopoly bucks in there? Well there is and it's all mine!

"Thank you Yusuke,' I purred, as he continued to glare at the board sourly. He made no comment, I think he was afraid to jinx himself any further in this current predicament. "Yusuke looks like a bit of a sourpuss right now, yeah? Like a cat who get dumped in a ol' bucket of water," chirped Jin.

"Geez, thanks for the support pal!" Yusuke responded sarcastically.

"Oi, get your tail out of knots Urameshi!" Jin sent a little gust of wind Yusuke's way, which lightly tipped him onto his back with a small yelp of surprise.

"That'll teach him," said Kuwabara with a devious little grin, which earned being tackled by Yusuke and a rolling on the floor wrestling match to commence. Jin joined in while Yukina, Touya and I watched with amused expressions.

* * *

Yusuke went home in the early evening, as did everyone else once the coast seemed clear that I wasn't going to randomly blow stuff up with my energy. With a sigh, I waved to Jin and Touya who disappeared into the trees to try and find a rift to go through back to their home.

Two things happened almost immediately after I lost track of the two demons in the embrace of the woods.

I had been wondering all day why I could no longer hear Hiei. Nor feel any emotions or sensations coming from his end. It made me uneasy, but I tried not to make too big of a deal out of it. I had figured it was because we weren't as close in contact as before, and Kurama had never come back either after going after him.

First, I started getting a splitting migraine. It hit me so abruptly with the sensitivity and the dull pounding behind my eyes and in my temples that I stumbled against one of the wooden pillars on the porch for support. A sharp gasp of pain escaped me as I felt myself slide down onto my knees, holding my head and rocking back and forth. I went from feeling great to feeling like a insignificant speck of pain in less then 9 seconds.

Second, I heard Touya's voice call out a name. It wasn't mine though. It was Kurama's. Next I knew, through my watering eyes, Jin and Touya were stumbling from the forest, supporting a weak and slightly beat up Kurama. His pale green jersey was slashed and covered with a little blood, and his jeans were scuffed but he didn't seem to be in too bad of shape.

Me on the other hand, the pain continued to get worse and worse. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to scream.

Thanks to my hearing aide, I could faintly hear Kurama and the boys talking.

"What happened to ya, Kurama? Did you get into a scuff or something of the like?" Jin helped Kurama steady himself slowly and stand.

"I'm fine. Some of the blood is Hiei's, not mine."

"You and Hiei fought?" I could hear the disbelief and incredulousness in the ice master's voice. Everyone knew Kurama and Hiei were closer than most, and in a more normal world they would be called "best friends". Kurama made a small noise of affirmative.

"He was trying to go back to Demon World. I did everything I could to stop him-Xannah!" I was in the fetal position by now, and I think they finally noticed me. Next thing I knew, I was scooped up on the fly (literally) by Jin as he soared into the temple calling for Genkai and Yukina. I cuddled as close to his partially bare chest as I could. A soft scream echoed through the temple that I didn't realize at first was my own.

"What the hell happened?" barked Genkai as Jin cradled me close into his chest like a fragile doll. Hell, right now I felt like one. Even simple voices grated on the inside of my brain.

"Hiei went through a rift back to Demon World." I didn't get what the big deal was. Unless Hiei going back was the source of my head pains. A small yowl left me again as Genkai ushered Jin to lay me down onto the small couch in the sitting room. It was small and informal, but as Jin went to put me down I clung to him like a helpless child.

"Don't leave me." I was tearlessly sobbing by now as the pounding in my head turned into a screeching roar. Jin tensed for a moment but his soft voice broke through the pain. "I won't. I promise ya, Xannah I'll stay right here with ya alright?" I nodded, clinging to him as he half sat and half laid on the couch besides me, with me facing the back of the couch while he faced the outside, like a shield against the outside world.

"Koenma and I told him NOT to go too far in case something were to backfire. That fool!" Genkai's voice was quiet (for my benefit) but enraged. Enma help Hiei when she got her wrinkled hands around him. Kurama's voice was the next to quietly permeate the hushed atmosphere. I felt small, cool hands on my head. Yukina's.

"He'll be back I'm sure. I believe their connection is causing them to go through withdrawals from the distance. Xannah doesn't have as high of a pain tolerance as Hiei does, so it will take slightly longer for him to finally make his way back." Genkai growled softly in suppressed rage and irritation.

Jin nuzzled my temple, his breath tickling my ear and causing me to shiver. I think he mistook it for me being cold, which led him to hold me even closer still to him. Not that you were seeing me complaining.

"Thanks," I mumbled softly to him. Jin paused and I think he smiled a little.

"Yer welcome, lass."

* * *

Yay for updating! Hiei's being a brat and Jin is being cuddly. Hope that sated the appetites of some of the more romancey reviewers. I'm debating on two things: Turning the KuramaxOC possibility into a JinxOC possibility or making it JinxOCxHiei. Review and let me know what you guys think :)


	11. Your Star

Chapter 11: Your Star

* * *

Over the course of the night I kept drifting in and out of it. Kurama's homemade tranquilizer wasn't doing much for me, and was only granting me broken bits of rest that were shattered by the slowly dulling pain in my temples. At one point I felt myself be relocated from the couch back into my room. I clung helplessly to whoever it was who carried me, and they stayed with me for a short time until I passed out again.

When I awoke again, the inky blackness in the sky was starting to give way to the indigo colors of early morning. The pain in my temples had stopped and it felt as if it had never happened in the first place. I felt _right_ again.

And the source of that rightness was coming from the little demon curled up in the corner asleep.

At first I felt mad. Pissed at seeing Hiei there, curled up and sleeping like a babe. What the hell? My brain went through the meat grinder last night because little bat boy couldn't handle being near me when he was the one who agreed to this in the first place! I scrambled out of my futon and was about to crawl over and bite his kneecaps off.

The first miniscule bit of blue morning light came into my room, shining on his features and gently alighting the room. It was barely anything, but it was enough to make me freeze as I saw his face. Saw the faint red mark on his skin that was almost on the verge of swelling. But most importantly I saw his face in a different light then before.

His features were relaxed, calm and composed. No longer was the annoyance, apathy, and anger on his face. His lashes casted long shadows over his cheekbones, and his lips were relaxed in a small "o" as he slept. I blinked, on my hands and knees about a foot from him as I stared at him dumbstruck.

He looked….cute.

Really freakin' cute.

Hesitantly, I reached out to brush his lips with my fingertips. His lips moved slightly, and I froze as it felt almost like he was kissing the fingertips. I continued to stay frozen as his eyes opened rather abruptly, staring at me. For a split second, softness from sleep lingered in his gaze, and then his eyes hardened.

With a squeak, I scrambled from him backwards like a crab but he was quicker. Hiei's calloused hand darted out, grabbing the front of my shirt and yanking me back to him. I couldn't sense the feelings or thoughts from him, he was focusing simply on the actions he was committing. Which was having me mere inches from his face.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" He enunciated each word carefully as he stared hard at me. I gulped, and his eyes flickered to my throat for a moment before his eyes settled on my face once again. "Well?" His tone was no nonsense. It took a few seconds, but I was able to get up the courage to respond.

"I was about to come over here and add to the mark on your cheek, wise guy." My tone was biting and dark, which his brow went up at ever so slightly. I pressed on, "What was your problem? If you couldn't stand to be around me so bad then why did you agree to do this whole binding anyways?"

"That's none of your concern," was his monotonous answer. Using my mind, I shoved a phrase so harshly that it made his right eye twitch, _Like hell it isn't!_ "Maybe not to you, but I think I'm entitled to answers when my brain felt like it was getting squeezed like an orange yesterday because you snuck off!"

We stared at each other hard, and I was afraid he would be able to hear my heart pounding. My blood was rushing into my ears so hard that I felt dizzy and a little stupid. Hiei's grip on my shirt didn't lessen, and I was aware that I was semi straddling his leg (which had been stretched out before him and still was) and that this was a VERY awkward position…

"Tch. You talk too much." He didn't release me though, instead closing his eyes lightly. NOW he seemed to think more freely, and I caught the tendril of his thoughts. He was drowsy, and thinking of the flickers of Demon World that he had seen before the pain had been too much and he had to go back. Of red and purple skies and large, dark green trees like demented pines…

Homesickness flooded him for a moment that almost brought me to tears before he cleared his thoughts and refocused on me. Neither of us were speaking, just focusing on the other's thoughts. His thoughts of home made me think of my own, and our gazes held silently.

I think it was more a spur of the moment thing for us to kiss again. I was the first to lean in, and I saw no complaints from bat boy. His eyes, bright, brilliant red continued to stare at me as our lips met once more. His lips moved almost hesitantly against mine, and a soft nip at my lower lip made me gasp-

Next thing I knew, I was back on my futon with him on top of me, pinning my hands above my head with a grip stronger then irons. His lips never left mine, nor did his eyes. It was the first time I had kissed someone where their eyes didn't close. Slowly, his lips left mine and he stared down at me with very little expression.

"The ONLY reason I'm allowing you to live," he murmured in the quiet, "Is because of the old woman sitting in the kitchen right now waiting for you to wake up." With eyes too bright and wide, flushed cheeks and parted lips I continued to look up at him. There was no maliciousness coming from him. Only a dark type of calm and self-control.

Blinking slowly, I asked with some control over my shaky voice, "Why do you hate me so much?"

He stared down at me.

"I don't hate you."

The words were said so quietly that I almost couldn't hear them. It was the fact that he said them both verbally and with his mind that allowed me to fully grasp his words. Hiei didn't hate me…flashes of his homeland came to mind once again. Of a land I was sure he wanted to go back to with every fiber of his being.

"You just want to go home," I murmured, tilting my head slightly, saying it less as a question and more as a statement. Hiei's eyes narrowed as his thoughts suddenly died. An attempt to try and keep me from what he was thinking. Though it was futile. We were too connected. I could still feel his emotions, and not even he could hold off the living being's need of thought. And that realization of mine alone ended what was left of what might have been considered a "tender" moment.

Glaring at me and pushing off me while releasing my wrists at the same time. He turned from me, strapping his katana back onto his hip. I noticed then what he had been wearing as the blue light in my room started to catch soft hues of pink. They were faint, but there.

He wore his normal black pants, but his feet were bare. His torso and arms were clad in an array of bandages. Some old, and some rather new. I could help but stare as he paused in the doorway, glancing back at me.

"If you tell anyone of this…I will make your existence VERY…very…painful."

And with that he was gone.

* * *

Genkai looked up from her tea, a copy of the local newspaper spread out on the table in front of her. She almost immediately stood up once I entered the room, coming over to examine me like I was a pup at the dog show. The intense scrutiny made me blush.

"How do you feel? He didn't do anything fishy now did he?" I would've laughed if her gaze wasn't so serious and her tone so severe. "Nah, tis fine grandma," I assured her. "He was sleeping in the corner when I woke up and I didn't have a headache and neither did he." Her flinty brown eyes lingered on me for a few moments longer before she relaxed a little and nodded.

"Fine then. Did you see that scuff on his cheek?" I nodded with a small hum, pouring myself some cereal while I sensed Hiei off by the bath house. Taking a bath I presumed.

Foolish woman. Now is not the time to be encroaching on my thoughts. Control yourself. I swear I heard some smug arrogance in the tone of his thoughts. It made my eyes narrow as I poured myself a bowl of cereal and milk as I went to sit beside Genkai at the table. "Jin punched him," she continued casually, as if speaking of the weather while she sipped her tea.

"He PUNCHED him?" I almost let my cereal out of my mouth, and Genkai saw that, giving me a small smirk while I mock glared at her, my eyes urging her to continue with the tale. So she did, sensing my curiosity. I could feel Hiei trying not to pay attention to this, but failing rather miserably. He didn't seem too pleased.

"Right as he walked into the door. I didn't even have a chance to lay hands on him myself. Jin was on one side of the room with you as you slept, and right as Hiei walked through the door he flew over and punched him so hard he almost went through the wall." My brow went up at this. My chest suddenly felt tight with a familiar warmth. Jin cared. Even in his own way, he cared.

The thought made me involuntarily smile as I felt Hiei about to make a sharp remark.

"I'll have to think Jin for that," I murmured, sipping my milk from my bowl. Bitch growled Hiei darkly within his thoughts, and it was hard to tell if the insult/compliment was directed to me or Genkai. Hell, he was probably talking about both of us.

_Coward._

The death glare thought feeling I got in response was enough to give me goose bumps. Very bad goose bumps. However, it was easy enough to ignore when I went back into my room, laid on the futon and blared "Bittersweet Memories" from Bullet for my Valentine so loud that it even drowned out the thoughts from Hiei.

I fell asleep that way.

* * *

For the rest of the day I kept drifting in and out of sleep. Yusuke had come by briefly to check on me, then went off again. Same with Kurama and Kuwabara. They popped by before they had to get ready to go to class and promised the three of us would go for a coffee again once my body got used to the drastic changes. Changes I wish I had control of.

For some odd reason when I started to drift off once again, my mind went to Jori.

It was the last thing I was thinking about (rather calmly in fact) before I fell into a very, very deep sleep. And how do I know it was a deep sleep? Because when I sleep this deeply, my dreams are very, very vivid. And almost always about my memories.

"**Xannah you can be such a bitch!" laughed a girl besides me as we sat in one of London's dinky little coffee shops. My smile was slight, on the edge of being a smirk as a local teen walked away, shaggy hair and all with his hands shoved grumpily in his pockets. I had turned him down to go out for a coffee at a "better" place (Code for let's sneak off and shag).**

"**I know," I hummed, sipping at a green tea concoction that was bittersweet and positively delicious. In this dream, the first few seconds I'm myself…then I lose that grip, and start to view everything from third person. Like right about…now…**

_**Rolling her bright brown and green flecked eyes, Xannah stood up while adjusting her dark green jacket and dark blue sweater. She wore pale, faded and well worn jeans and black rain boots. As usual, it was rather gloomy in London with overcast skies and soft periods of rain.**_

"_**I'm going to check out that trinket shop across the street, Ashe." She looked to the girl she had been sitting with, who nodded while sipping her own flavored beverage. Ashe was taller then Xannah with dark brown eyes and a variety of freckles adorning her face. Her hair was dyed black and hung around her face in a cute little bob which matched her slender physique. Ashe snorted and waved Xannah off with a slender hand with black nail polish and studded bracelets.**_

"_**Go on, I'll catch up in a sec."**_

_**Nodding and blowing her buddy a kiss, Xannah turned on her heel and walked from the coffee shop. The scent of fresh rain invaded her senses as soon as the door opened. It was grey and melancholy out as her boots softly squelched and squeaked on the damp cobblestone streets. The store in front of her screamed vintage, and she had her eye on a rather large porcelain doll with a purple umbrella and matching frilly dress. Her little sister would love something like that.**_

_**And that was when it happened.**_

_**Barely having stepped onto the curb in front of the shop, Xannah (hearing aide and all) could hear a car pulling up behind her on the curb. This wasn't abnormal. In the second step, the doors slide open. A van. Halfway to the third step, Xannah felt someone's hand envelop over her mouth.**_

_**Her scream was muffled as she thrashed, easily being pulled back into the contours of the dark van. Arms that could easily break her in two held her in a vice like grip as the van door closed. The last thing she saw before the cursed darkness was the doll's pale green eyes staring benignly back at her.**_

* * *

Am I evil? Yes, yes I am very evil indeed! So here it is: Tiny bits of Xannah and Hiei's relationship are developing, though in a very bizarre way as you say. Neither of them are very conventional, so I figured neither should their budding romance. (shrug)

I'm sure some people have been curious about Xannah's past and why Jori was trying to kill her and blah blah blah. So next chapter is going to mainly be memories as she dreams. Might be just half the chapter or the whole chapter. Not sure. Still deciding on that. Anyways…read and review! Until next time!


	12. Snow White Queen

Chapter 12: Snow White Queen

Warning: This chapter has mature content that is on the borderline to being rated M. So it's pretty much a very high T. You have been warned.

* * *

"_**Mmm…" Standing there being appraised is one of the most repulsive experiences of Xannah's life. To have these older men and women gaze upon her (who by the way was stuck wearing her birthday suit) like a dog at show or a common piece of meat made her feel sick. Her hair, which was longer then present day, was straight and long almost to her elbows.**_

_**She had heard a soft murmur from an older man with who she was horrified to see was his wife do to their matching rings, "With that hair she looks like Lady Godiva. How much for her again?" The wife made a small hum of agreement, "200,000. However I'm sure the price will go up once the bidding starts. She's fluent in both English and Japanese and has Japanese and Italian backgrounds. Quite a find. And those eyes!" The wife gave another little hum while brushing a silver curl away from her face.**_

_**Xannah slowly closed her eyes, trying to keep her breathing steady as one of the tuxedo clad show boys turned her around to face another small group of people. At a simple gesture from a man who looked to be in his 70s or 80s, Xannah's hair was brushed aside to reveal her breasts.**_

_**More small murmurs arose, and they seemed to be of approval.**_

_**To give a better description of the room: It looked to be some kind of Opera House or a theater. The large stage was illuminated by a single light pointing straight down on Xannah. The stage was circular and placed in the center of the theater. Stairs led up and down either side, and the construction was of Greek origin.**_

_**Xannah drew in a shaky breath, biting her lip so hard she was afraid she had made it bleed. A tiny whimper left her throat.**_

"_**Let the bidding begin!"**_

_**The voice was soft and politely feminine, and seemed to come from all around them. Without further ado, the woman began to prattle on in a voice that was purely professional. "Found on the street of London, she is American born and is fluent in both English and Japanese. Her mother was born and raised Japanese, and her father contains rich Italian back ground and heritage. She can sing, dance, and play the violin."**_

_**Xannah's eye twitched, knowing that if she made even the small noise she could be killed or worse. All eyes were on her, and she flinched as a scratchy, female voice who sounded very much like a chain smoker, "210,000!"**_

_**And like bidders at a farmers' auction, they named off their prices one by one.**_

"_**220,000!"**_

"_**250,000!"**_

"_**275,000!"**_

_**And on it went. Xannah shivered, goose flesh erupting all over her very naked and cold body. Her cheeks were flushed a deep burning red of embarrassment and shame. The show boys had her spin around, lay on her back with her legs spread, skip, jump up and down, and even run little laps around the stage like a circus animal.**_

"_**670,000!"**_

"_**675,000 dammit!"**_

"_**1 million."**_

_**Everything went dead silent. Now the light went to the man who had spoken (for it indeed was a man). He was tall, dark, lean and tanned like he had worked endlessly in the sun his whole life. He was dressed fairly casually for such a fancy occasion, with a white dress shirt with the first few buttons undone. The jeans he wore looked unremarkable but were probably more expensive then most of Xannah's wardrobe back home.**_

_**A few seconds passed and the voice continued, "Going once?"**_

_**Silence.**_

"_**Twice?"**_

_**More silence.**_

"_**Sold to Mr. Diego Valentino. Please give payment back stage and collect your purchase and have a pleasant evening." That was it. No further hustle or bustle about it as the show boys gathered the unwilling girl in their arms and carried her down the stairs under the stage where her fate was to be decided.**_

_**It was dark and damp and cold. Like a very icy Hell. Eyes opening wide and bright, Xannah saw the figure of the man who had bought her off to the side, writing a check, his head down. It was very silent, even as she was set on her feet and handed a set of clothes to wear for going out. Knowing the drill, she quickly changed into the mini skirt, white blouse, knee high socks and ballet flats.**_

_**As Xannah slipped on her shoes, she looked up only to come face to face with the man who had just bought her freedom. And her life.**_

"_**Hello," he said pleasantly as he gazed at her almost benignly. In the next second, he slapped her so hard she cried out and fell to the ground. Sobbing weakly, unable to hold it back anymore, Diego grabbed Xannah by the scruff of the neck with a unreal type of strength and calmly made his way out the back door. The cold night air bit at Xannah's cheek and bare legs.**_

_**A limo was there waiting for them, small and fairly discreet for such a thing. A driver was waiting there, an elderly man who had a very passive expression as he opened the door for Valentino to shove Xannah inside. A small squeak left her lips as she scurried to the furthest corner of the limo while Valentino climbed in after her and the driver shut the door.**_

_**He wasn't finished with her yet though. He climbed over to her quicker then she thought possible as he wordlessly shoved her onto her back on the expensive black leather. "Take us to the Sea House," murmured Valentino, never missing a beat as he straddled the teenage girl and ripped her blouse and skirt off with barely a flick of his wrist, pinning her hands above her head.**_

"_**Of course," responded the driver with a type of cheerfulness that made Xannah's heart freeze even more so then the hands on her that felt like black ice.**_

**And rather abruptly the dream stopped and I found myself in my body instead in the strange third person perspective that usually occupied my thoughts. Diego started fading away from my sight like a bad nightmare he had become, and I felt my clothes mend and heal themselves as if they had never been damaged in the first place.**

**I looked up to see the limo window that connected the driver with the passenger roll down, and the old man was no longer driving.**

**Instead it was Jin and Hiei.**

**Jin looked over at me with his dancing blue eyes, wearing a little butler hat atop his mane of wild red hair, "Where too miss?"**

"**Take me home," I whispered, and so they did.**

* * *

It was strange to wake up and realize it was really just a dream when it had felt so real. Slowly, I sat up only to flinch at the harsh late afternoon sunlight pierce through my thin rice paper door and into my eyes. Rubbing at my face, I slowly sat up and felt strangely rejuvenated. Ever so slowly I started to smile.

"Hey Genkai?" I scrambled off my futon, slipped on a baggy neon green T shirt and some jeans, and ran around the temple looking for my grandmother. Yukina came from her room with slightly widened eyes. "Is something wrong, Xannah?" Her voice was slightly high pitched and concerned, and I couldn't help but laugh and give her a huge hug (which she returned slowly and shyly).

"I feel great! 200%! Where's Genkai and everyone else?"

She leaned back a little from the hug to be able to speak better without being muffled against my shoulder. "Mr. Hiei is in the woods some where I'm sure. Jin went back to Demon World to get some things." Her eyes brightened a little, "He'll be staying with us for a little while. It'll be nice to have more people here."

I tilted my head down at her curiously, some of my blonde hair falling into my face which I quickly brushed away. "Jin is really staying here with us? Why? What about his training for the next tournament?"

"He didn't say. And Genkai went into the village to get a few groceries before we can go to the city this weekend." Alright, so that accounted for everyone. Kurama and Kuwabara were probably still at college and Yusuke was working. Keiko was probably at school too, and the other demons were in Demon World training for the next tournament. Which was still a few years off but that didn't stop them.

"Thanks Yukina." With that I released her, starting to come down off my abnormal high as I made my way outside. I shielded my eyes from the sunlight, the bottom of my feet adjusting to the warmth of the wooden porch planks. The sky was clear and for a moment I found myself gently caressing my scar from top to bottom, lost in thought.

I'm doing it.

I'm fulfilling my promise.

I'm living the life they never got to. I was given a second chance.

**Kaylee.**

**Professor Eugene Smith.**

**And grumpy ol' man Jasper.**

Closing my eyes, I held my arms out as if to embrace the sun, feeling Hiei in my thoughts and not caring whether he was seeing or feeling what I was. Let them him know their names. They more than deserved to be remembered.

"I'm doing it guys," I whispered into the quiet, warm and sunny atmosphere. "I'm living my life."

* * *

I know this chapter is a little shorter then normal, though for good reason! Was doing college stuff and getting ready to graduate so I got a little sidetracked. Plus, I didn't want to shove too much stuff in one chapter because the next chapter there is another time skip. Hope you enjoy what I've given you so far, and until next time!


	13. Darlin'

Chapter 13: Darlin'

* * *

After much begging and pleading and whining and such I was finally allowed to go out and begin my life normally again. It took about a week, but finally she was able to see things my way. I had finished all my college work I had missed while I had been gone, and had even taken a test or two and I wasn't too far behind. No random energy bursts, no more Hiei disappearing acts, and Jin would be all moved in by the time I got back from classes today.

The job situation was still up in the air, but I was adamantly searching when I could. I had already mailed in some applications at places I hoped would at least entertain the idea of hiring me but so far no luck. My spirits were down at this…

But giving up was not an option.

Not when you had someone like Genkai as a grandmother.

"Life is far from easy. You know this. I know this. It's never changing…and never ending." We had been sitting out back with some slices of the last watermelon left in the fridge. Genkai hadn't even started on her slice and I was about halfway done with mine. Everything was very calm and serene, and some where I could hear Hiei softly snore in sleep as he napped in one of the trees on the property.

At the quizzical look I shot her, she simply snorted and continued quietly gazing out into the countryside. I looked at her for a few moments longer before I too began looking out into the woods. The calming breeze and the faint music of wind chimes lulled me into a dozing state, which wasn't broken until Genkai suggested we go inside from the early evening chill.

Now…now I was walking to my Psychology class. My hair was parted today so my hair would fall against my scar a little better and keep off awkward stares. Most people had already seen me or were just too polite to stare openly. Still, better safe than sorry. The long sleeved grey T shirt and jean shorts and sandals felt nice with the warm sunshine and cool breeze. I passed a girl I knew from one of my other classes, and we smiled at each other.

"Hope you're feeling better!" she called with a slight wave and I smiled back brightly.

"I'm doin' pretty good all in all. See ya at 3!"

That seemed to break the ice. As I continued going through across the campus courtyard to the Social Studies building, I got a few more greetings and one wink that made me grin and blush at the same time. Continuing forth, I walked into the building and went into the first door on the right into the phycology lecture hall. It was a vast room slightly curved with rows and rows of movie theater type seats with pull out desks attached to the side of the chair.

The familiar off white walls were strangely welcoming as I sat in my usual seat in the middle near the front. My hearing aide beeped annoyingly and I quietly cursed to myself. The battery was dying on me again. I reached up to give it a warning flick and the beeping stopped.

The door opened and I looked up with a grimace.

My eyes all but popped out of my head.

The man in the doorway was fairly tall. 6 foot give or take an inch, with dark brows over dark brown eyes and dark brown hair with a few stray greys. His soul patch on his lower lip was the first thing my eyes went too, for it was the most familiar thing to me. Over his back was a guitar case, worn with the years of use it had undergone. He wore dark jeans, black Converses and a button down dark blue shirt. Our eyes met from across the room.

"Daddy?" I whispered.

* * *

INSANELY SHORT I KNOW. But. Not without good reason.

I am getting intense writer's block all of a sudden.

If I had continued on with the idea I do have right now, the chapter would be insanely long because there wouldn't be a very good place to stop.

So! Ideas are greatly appreciated as well as those reviews I love and adore


	14. Remember When

Chapter 14: Remember When

* * *

I was grateful to the fact that my dad had gotten a rental car instead of relying on the bus and taxi services in the area. Not that they weren't reliable but I really didn't feel like talking about such a delicate subject in front of strangers and my dad seemed to realize that.

For the rest of the walk through the courtyard we both left each other to our own thoughts. And good thing too, because at the moment I was torn between being "WTF?" and other more…explicit things. But unlike American society, being that crude wasn't accepted in public.

"So, do you know how to get from Genkai's from here?" he asked casually. I felt my anger twinge the tiniest bit. Well of course I knew how to get there. I've been living there for most of the summer so far! But I schooled my expression to a milder, polite voice and expression. My father had the tendency to be over sensitive at times, so I did my best to keep things calm.

"Yeah. It's a little ways out of town though."

"How far out do you think?"

"10, 15 minute drive depending on the traffic. Then we have to walk."

His bushy brows went up at this. "Walk?"

Mom obviously hasn't told him shit. Big surprise there. About that time Hiei decided to make a more notable presence in my mind, lightly probing at what was going on and I let him. Not like I had much of a choice anyways. He had more mental abilities then me and thus could do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted.

What's your father doing here? He questioned. Even though he knew the answer.

_He wants me to come home. Back to America. _I could feel him churning this information around in his mind, wondering if it was noteworthy enough to tell my grandma. Either she wouldn't be surprised or the first thing out of her mouth would be imploring about my mother's where abouts. Both Hiei and I even wondered if she'd get hostile even.

Doubtful.

_Go ahead and tell her. She'll want to know._

What business is it of mine whether you leave or not?

_Geez, I dunno smart one. You'll have to come to America with me so we both stay sane. And guess what? Millions more humans there then there are here! Won't it be fun, Hiei?_

A mental hiss that would've chilled the bones of an average man went through our link before I felt him enter the temple. By the time I came back from my mental conversation, we were in the car and my dad was making to maneuver out to the main road that would lead towards Genkai's place. The ride continued in silence and I wondered why till my dad flipped open his little smart phone, speaking into it even though no ringer signaled for a caller nor did he push any buttons.

"We're on our way, honey."

Oh goddammit.

* * *

"So they wanna take 'er back, eh?"

Jin sat cross legged in Genkai's main sitting room, hands resting on his knees while Yukina sat besides him, softly nibbling on her lower lip. Her eyes were soft and worried as she'd glance between the stoic Hiei and the silent Genkai, who had her chin resting in the palm of her hand, still rolling around the statement in her head.

Xannah's father had Xannah and was on his way back here.

With her mother not far behind.

"Well doesn't this make things difficult," she grumbled, standing up with a slow creak of old bones and skin. A few more seconds of silence commenced, when all three glanced up to the distant pull of new spiritual energies. It was like a sleeping lion. Great power just beneath the surface. Or in this case, lioness.

"She's here," murmured Genkai, opening the sliding door that looked out into the front yard to the sight of her long, lost daughter.

* * *

When I came to the top of the stairs with my dad panting slightly besides me, it was to probably the most awkward sight I've ever seen before (and possibly ever will) in my life.

There was my mother, in all her glory. Dressed like any teenager with a body to match. Long, slender legs encased in jean shorts with a black tank top over her darkly tanned torso. She was barefoot, her sandals resting besides her feet. Her blonde hair was a little longer then I was used too, almost touching her shoulders as her head was turned, talking to Genkai.

Who was sitting on the other side of the porch, arms and legs crossed as they carried on their conversation like they were sitting besides each other.

"What are they doing?" muttered my dad under his breath, watching them with a slight shifting of his form. He too could feel the awkwardness of watching them. Yukina, Jin, and Hiei were in no man's land, standing in the doorway of the sitting room, heads going back and forth between my mother and Genkai as if watching a verbal tennis match. I could even sense Hiei's tenseness and wondered what they were talking about that required the distance.

Or maybe it wasn't even the subject matter itself. Maybe it was just being around each other. Which made me think…when was the last time those two had even spoken?

My mother looked up, and our eyes met. Her eyes widened and brightened, holding a familiar yet alien emotion of love that would come and go from her as easily as the sun in winter. She stood up, ignoring everyone but me, her eyes never leaving my own as she swept me up into her arms with just a few strides on her long legs. My mind went blank.

My father embraced me from the other side, and I could see over my mother's shoulder at the others. Yukina looked fairly happy to see a "happy" family reunited. Jin looked a tad bit confused, while Genkai was looking off into the distance, lost in her own thoughts. While Hiei looked…just…annoyed.

I searched around at his train of thoughts, and they led down a interesting path. He didn't like my parents being here. He wanted them to stop touching me and leave me alone and just go away. He wished Genkai would banish them from these lands. Because he didn't like suddenly feeling homesick for a home that wasn't even his own-

"You've gotten so skinny, baby girl," mewled my mother, giving me a big kiss on the cheek, then stroking it affectionately. "My little peanut." I blushed at a small giggle I think came from Yukina. Dammit. This was embarrassing.

"Hi mom," was my quiet and oh so eloquent greeting. Her eyes lit up as I felt my dad stroking my hair. What was I, a pet? They never used to be this cuddly before.

Wasting no time, my mother lightly cupped my face in her hands, cradling it like I was a precious Atlantian jewel. Her voice came out in a coo, like speaking to a small child. I just stared at her, and actually gulped a little. Because as kind and as loving as my mother could be…I knew what was hiding under the skin.

"Come home, baby. We miss you. We want you home."

I stared into her blue eyes with my own.

"…No."

Understand this: No child (at least in my opinion) can harbor true hatred for their parent. Sure they annoy you. Sure sometimes you can't stand their lovey-dovey, whiney self or how they tell you no. As well as all the other things they do which I could just go on and on about.

Even as I felt my mother stiffen, recoil, and watched almost in slow motion as she slapped me, I did not hate her. I hated the pain, and the action itself, but not her as a person. I felt tears sting my eyes as a collective gasp went around, which set off a chain of events I could never have seen coming.

First, my father let forth a low, stern muttering of my mother's name before quickly maneuvering me behind him. Something about this particular attack set him off in a way I rarely ever saw. She normally didn't hit (only about 1/20, so once every two or three years) and just resorted to verbal words, cold shoulders, and crying. But in her eyes I saw anger and sadness.

Second, I realized my mom really did miss me. And that…maybe…she hadn't wanted me to leave in the first place.

"Xannah!" Jin had made my mother turn her head a little as he was hovering there on the porch, looking torn. Between helping me and getting himself involved in the affairs of (in my opinion) one fucked up family. Our eyes met, and I looked away rather quickly. It was like my voice was gone. I had nothing to say.

For me, this was part of my "normal" life. BEFORE everything changed. In a way I almost welcomed the humiliation because it brought some semblance of normality to my life after it went from being insane to just weird. As these thoughts went through, Hiei's voice was like a sharp, searing jolt of electricity in my brain.

You're pathetic.

"Don't. You. DARE…touch me again."

I didn't know where my voice suddenly came from. It broke forth like a dam within me and passed my lips before I even processed that I had said anything. Hiei's words had been like the key to my voice box, and now that I had stood up to my mother, there was no going back. Her blue eyes had widened a little, as if she hadn't realized what she had done. Either that or she was surprised I had said anything for a change.

"Honey…" She reached out to me but I shrugged off the gesture. My father took her arm gently as I began to walk away. I could hear his voice speaking lowly too her, followed by her heated responses. She didn't like being told what to do I knew that much. It irked her beyond belief.

"We'll come back later, alright?" called my dad towards me. I didn't even turn around, and could feel his injured stare boring into the back of my skull.

I didn't look back.

* * *

I know this chapter is still short. Again, writer's block and I feel so freakin' bad for not updated. Ugh ugh ugh ugh!

Love you bunches, folks. Keep the reviews comin!


	15. Make you Smile

Chapter 15: Make you Smile

* * *

I walked past everyone. Hiei, Yukina, Jin, and Genkai came in moments after I did, with Yukina softly imploring about my stinging cheek. It still burned, so it must've been a bright cherry red. Tentatively, I glanced at my reflection in a compact mirror I kept in my back pocket. On one cheek was my scar. The other was indeed a flaming red.

"It'll be fine, Yukina," I murmured. Was my voice really so soft and quiet?

Genkai, as usual, was no nonsense. "Does she normally hit you like that?" In response I shook my head. It was the truth. Her hitting me was a rare occurrence, and wasn't what I considered normal. Hiei began to lightly probe through my mind, and behind my eyes I could feel him shifting through memories. I wasn't concerned with what he'd find because it wasn't anything I wasn't already planning on talking to my grandma anyways.

Snorting, she went to the fridge (we had migrated to the kitchen) and started making a small icepack from some ice cubes and a rag. I gingerly placed it to my cheek, sighing at some of the relief it provided. I felt someone wrap their arms loosely around me from behind.

If Hiei's eerily vacant stare was anything to go by (as well as his low, growling thoughts), it was Jin.

"You'll be fine, eh? She ain't got no rights, nosiree. No mother goes around walloping their tike like that." He spoke in his normally quick manner, and I smiled a little, hugging his arms slightly in response.

"It…doesn't bother me-"

"It should," interjected Genkai. She sat across from me as Yukina began putzing around in the kitchen, preparing a late lunch. "I won't intervene because you're plenty old enough, Xannah. To take a stand, even against your own sires. The end choice is up to you."

"I know."

"Good. Because if I had said something, I wouldn't put it past your mother to start flaring her energy and going at it." After a pause, she added, "and I doubt I'd win."

Simultaneous staring all around.

"Her energy wasn't very significant," scoffed Hiei, far from convinced as he stood against the wall with his arms crossed. Jin seemed to hold a similar opinion, for when I peeked up at him he was staring at Genkai with confused disbelief.

Genkai looked at us all in turn. Even I looked must've looked confused for when her eyes came to me, they settled there as she began to talk. "I didn't need to ever give your mother much training. She was born with talent, but chose never to use it the way Yusuke or I did. Instead, she's the same as a demon sleeper. The power will continue to sit there…and wait."

"For..?" My mom having powers like Genkai or Yusuke? I had heard how strong the two of them were, especially my grandma back in her prime. My mom+powers like that= GTFO.

"Possibly a life or death situation. Yusuke's for instance surfaced when Sensui killed him. I wouldn't say the same for Karmen, but when that special "thing" happens…believe me, we'll all know." A random question suddenly came to mind and I just had to open my big mouth and ask.

"Why did you name my mother "Karmen"? Not very Japanese."

Genkai met my eyes over the rim of her cup of tea.

"I wasn't the one who named her."

She set the cup down slowly.

"Her father did."

"Was her father Toguro?" asked Yukina softly over her shoulder at her place by the sink. My grandmother gave a humorless smile and a slight shake of her head.

"No. Her father Kenneth did."

* * *

And so that was how the story of my origin came about. Genkai, years after Toguro left and vanished, met a lost American cowboy who was hiking through her forests. He stayed at her cabin for a few days, and when he left they wrote letters quite regularly.

I sat transfixed as she told us about my grandfather. He was lightly tan and very, very tall. 6'7, give or take an inch, with dark hair and the brightest, clearest blue eyes she had ever seen. Needless to say, they fell in love to some extent. Enough for him to pack his bags, leave his ranch in America to go and live with Genkai at her temple.

Things went well for a while. Both were peaceful creatures and they never fought or had conflicts. Days went by without incidence…until Genkai found out she was pregnant with my mother. My grandfather became overjoyed as well as surprised. Both of them thought Genkai was too old for children.

Many tests later confirmed it: Genkai was indeed pregnant with my mother.

"How did it feel knowing you were pregnant?" Yukina's innocent question brought forth a blunt answer from my grandmother. One that made sense to me.

"It wasn't until I went into labor that I came to terms with it. Once Karmen was brought into this world and placed on my chest, only then did I even feel anything like a mother."

And so time passed. For 7 years Genkai, Kenneth, and my mother lived happily and in peace at the temple. My grandfather got a letter from some relatives about his own grandfather's passing. So he quickly went to help with arrangements while Genkai stayed in Japan with my mother who was tentatively playing with her spiritual talents.

2 weeks later my grandfather was making his way back to Japan after the funeral. He called my grandma to tell her he was coming, and he couldn't wait to see her and Karmen. They waited all day for him…no word. No phone call or letters.

Like he had vanished.

The next day was no different, and even with all of Genkai's physic abilities she could not find him. No one could. She even contacted Koenma, and not even the prince of the Spirit World could find the father of her child. He wasn't dead, but no traces of him being alive existed either.

* * *

Genkai ended her story at that, standing up and leaving the room to go watch wrestling. I watched her leave with my brow a little furrowed. Maybe that was why my mom was so messed up? Hard to say, but that could be a good precursor-

"Xannah?"

I tilted my head back to look up at Jin, snapping out of my thoughts and focusing my attention on him. Hiei's thoughts gave a rather slight twitch, but a few soothing words got no response from him except him relaxing. Slightly, but still it was better then nothing.

"Yes Jin?"

"How do ya humans spend time together?"

The question made me think for a moment before answering.

"Well…we all do everything differently. Though if you're my age we go out to the mall, shopping, to restaurants and eat, dancing-"

"Dancin'?" His pretty blue eyes lit up like the afternoon sky. I nodded, smiling. Dancing was my favorite thing to do. I was no prima ballerina but I did know how to dance with a pole…

Hiei gave a noise that sounded between a snort and a "Hn"…I wasn't looking at him but I think he was smirking.

"Yeah, dancing. Like to clubs and bars and stuff. Even some karaoke can be fun!" Talking about this was making the earlier thoughts of my mother fade away. I'd think about it later. Idly, I began rubbing my scar as I talked. I was getting hyped about the idea.

Yukina chose that time to speak up again as she began preparing the rice cooker. "Yusuke and the others go out sometimes." That perked me up. "Really?" She nodded with her soft smile. I noticed Hiei looking at her too.

"They go to the Funbari Club every other weekend when they all have time and go out and do karaoke. Genkai even went once." I couldn't help but snicker. My grandmother? Doing karaoke? I couldn't imagine her even listening to anything outside of classical or nature CDs with the sounds of the ocean and stuff.

"Genkai can sing rather well for her age," complimented Yukina brightly as she once again went back to her rice cooker. Jin chuckled a little, perhaps at the idea. "Then oi'm in! That indeedly!" And so with Hiei watching on disinterested, Jin and I formulated a plan on which to go to the club.

* * *

I wasn't allowed to go until Genkai checked over Hiei and I. Our bond was still strong and unwavering, and it looked like my energy wasn't going to randomly start going crazy again. Plus there was the issue of the weird mental connection we had, which was as strong as ever.

Now came time to getting ready.

I stood in front of my vanity mirror, staring at myself and making sure I looked alright. I mean…what does someone wear to a Japanese club? I had never been out in their night life, so when it came to get ready, I kinda just…went towards the good old fashioned American way.

My hair was held back in a headband (black of course) with a few bits of bangs falling against my forehead. I thought it looked Alice in Wonderland-ish for some reason. The shirt I wore was a personal a favorite of mine, black and cottony with long sleeves and a modest neckline. But on the back it was sheer black lace, to the point where unless you wore a tank top or cami underneath you could see my back.

The skinny jeans were a dark grey and made of cotton. More like leggings then anything else. And the flats were simple and black, casual but easily able to go with anything. I leaned forth towards my reflection, making sure none of my makeup was smudged. I was pretty proud of how it turned out. Nearly impeccable, down to the eyeliner and white eye shadow that made my eyes POP.

I grinned.

And then my eyes settled over my scar.

Overall, I thought I looked fantastic (not to sound full of myself or anything) but when my eyes would look upon the scar on my face…I felt my self-confidence dwindling-

I heard footsteps and a soft knock on the doorframe.

"C'mon," I said over my shoulder. Of all the people I expected to come into my room, Kurama was one of the least expected. He looked very…dashing. It was the first word that came to mind as I looked at him. He was dashingly handsome in a tan dress shirt and dark blue jeans. On his feet were simple slip ons. If I didn't have so much self control, I'd be drooling at the almost erotically teasing glimpse of flesh on her chest from leaving the first two buttons unbuttoned on the shirt.

He appraised me with bright eyes. "Very nice, Xannah. You look very nice," he said with a small smile, which I returned, grabbing my purse and slinging it over a shoulder. "The others all set?" He nodded as he stepped aside to let me step out of my room and slide the door.

"Just waiting for you."

For some reason, as we walked side by side outside to greet the others in all their party going splendor, Kurama's words made me feel…good. Because I knew I had friends here. Just like…back home…

A face came to my mind.

**Ashley…**

* * *

"Boooo! Get off the stage wiseass! My mother could outsing you on a bad day-" His rant was cut off by Keiko slapping on the back of the head rather roughly. I bust out laughing, my soda clasped in my hands while Jin had joined in with me. The guy really was horrible…Yusuke had every right to boo him. At least in my opinion.

The karaoke bar was more Americanized then most. There was a stage with the machine in the front and off to the side, and besides our group there was a few scattered pairs and trios of business men getting drunk on cheap sake and munchies. There was one other group of young adults besides their own who were enjoying themselves on the opposite side. Just a few boys and some girls. Some were paired. Some were not.

All in all it was a nice atmosphere.

"I'm tellin' ya Urameshi, if yeh think you're so much better at tis, then you go up there and make a fool of yerself!" Jin was talking a little faster than normal, probably from his naturally hyper disposition showing itself from all the excitement of having a human's version of a "night out".

As Yusuke rolled his eyes and started to stand up, I yanked him back down by his belt loop and he went back down with a small yelp.

"Xannah what the hell-"

"You stay down tough guy." I was smiling, a bit giddy myself as I brushed a stray bit of hair from my eyes. "I'll go up and sing."

* * *

GOD. I am SO, SO sorry! I haven't updated in ages…I more or less lost the flame and drive…sadface. But here's a chapter for ya anyway that I squeezed out!


	16. Not Enough

Chapter 16: Not Enough

Note: Slightly more cursing in this than normal. And some nudity and sexual situations.

* * *

"What is YOUR PROBLEM?"

I didn't care I had just made a scene in the middle of brunch. I didn't care Yukina's eyes got wide or Yusuke came close to choking on his bite of toast. I definitely gave two shits less that Hiei's eyebrow gave a small twitch was more then just a physical indication he was annoyed. I had brought attention to myself which was soon to lead to attention to him.

_Sit DOWN! _His thoughts hissed to me. Then (oh the nerve of this little asshole!) his Jagan gave off a very nondescript glow. I felt my knees get slightly weak…he was trying to force me down and it wasn't working. With mental strength I didn't realize I possessed, I shoved the silent command back at him with such force and venom that he almost flinched…almost. Though not quite.

I wanted this boy to suffer at this point.

Oh…to explain…

I woke up in bed with Hiei this morning after a long night of sake and karaoke.

Naked.

Covered in sticky residue with a can of whipped cream across my room in the corner.

I hoped the sticky residue was whipped cream that either dried up or that the demon licked or wiped off…oh please oh please let it had been that…

And he acted like it was NOTHING!

"You are the epitome of all things that make women turn either lesbian or violent feminist!" I grabbed my bowl, gently but loudly placed it in the sink and stormed off as Kuwabara looked to Hiei and said, "What did you do this time?"

Heh. Good! Let him face the scrutiny. My emotions were in too much of a turmoil and my thoughts too on the estrorage to really be able to acknowledge Hiei's thoughts or feelings through our link. I could care less. Really. I could care less about a guy who was as dickish and as infuriating and…

As I ranted to myself I had grabbed a change of clothes for the day and my towel and was stomping to take a bath. Or maybe hike up to the onsen or something. The farther away from him the better. My thoughts began to build momentum, to everything that had gone wrong since I was here. The 2nd state, Jory, that stupid kiss…

Clothes off, steaming water ON…

Just as I had stepped into the shower, the curtain was yanked back so hard the metal rings keeping them attached to the rack all but shattered. And there stood a very mad, very annoyed, very vexed Hiei.

And me…well, I was standing there gaping at him. Skin red from the steaming water. And, well, like this morning, rather naked.

Awkwaaaaard…

"What is your fucking PROBLEM!" I immediately started screeching and turned my back to him to lessen the view. Though it only gave him a ripe view of my ass. And my tattoo on my right shoulder. "I'm taking a shower in case you haven't noticed!"

"You're acting like a child," he hissed, grabbing my wrist and yanking me back. I stumbled a little, surprised at the action. I slipped slightly on the wet tile, going backwards and falling against his chest with a yelp, getting him all wet as well. My first reaction was to cling to him when I fell back against him, afraid I'd fall.

For the briefest of moments, it was still. For the briefest of moments, his arms were around me loosely. The spray of the shower was getting him more wet, and the spikiness in his hair seemed to droop a little from the moisture. For the briefest of moments, my inner turmoil allowed me to feel his thoughts.

He was…embarrassed…and…was that SHYNESS? Under the anger and prissiness and the embarrassment…he was feeling shy. A memory or two of last night passed by his mind quickly and I caught glimpses of myself through his eyes and how I embraced him last night, both mind and body-

"STOP!"

I wrenched myself away from him, and he let me. My back was pressed against the shower wall, the spray of hot water separating us. We simply stared at each other, our thoughts dancing with and away from one another. Sometimes wanting to embrace and other times to shove away. I think I was crying but it was hard to discern between tears and waters.

"I was drunk Hiei," I murmured, so quietly if he had been human he wouldn't have heard it. "I don't…I don't remember any of it…I-" He cut across my words down by speaking the obvious.

"You're mad because you don't remember…not because it happened."

There. He said it.

Asshole.

* * *

Yusuke looked at Genkai right as the yelling had died down. "What's their beef?"

The older woman simply sipped from her tea as per her usual style before speaking and not looking up. "Try sharing your head with someone every moment of every day. Things progress faster and fester quicker then usual because there are NO secrets. NO privacy. NO means to hide anything less than the truth of everything you do, think, feel…right now, for Hiei and Xannah, they're struggling to find a middle ground."

No more words were spoken. Why bother? Neither of us could hide from what we wanted. I was just glad I didn't have to take the first step when Hiei walked forth into the spray towards me.

"If Xannah hadn't have led the life she did, she may not have been able to handle the strain that being mentally intimate with someone like Hiei would bring. All the darkness and tendrils of light…she welcomes it and joins it with her own."

I felt scared. Like a cornered animal. Yet I didn't want to run. When he was close enough, his fingertips ghosted over my scar, his eyes fixated on that side of my face, as if scrutinizing me.

Then…Oh God I started to cry. Like really cry.

In the sweetest gesture I had ever seen or experienced, he took my hand to his lips, kissed my index and middle fingertips, and silently pressed those fingertips to my scar. And said nothing else. It was nothing even close to an "I love you" or anything like that. It was simply "I accept you".

For both of us, it was all we needed.

* * *

It was quiet around the table. Jin, who had been silent most of this time, slowly got up. Without looking at anyone or saying much of anything, he slowly made his way outside, quietly shutting the door behind him.

The water started to grow cold, and right as I shivered he reached over and shut off the spray, his eyes never leaving mine. He then reached over to the wall on the side of the shower and grabbed my towel and handed it to me.

Then he left, drying himself off with his own devices as he went.

The simple thoughts and act alone from those gestures spoke volumes more than anything else ever could.

But then a thought occurred to me.

Why is it I can never stay mad at Hiei?

Again…Asshole.

* * *

There! Sorry it's short but there's a teaser for ya yay for college!


	17. If it's Love

Chapter 17: If it's Love

* * *

I made my way back to my room. Hiei was no where in sight and it seemed things had gone on fairly normally in the temple. I heard the sounds of Yusuke and Genkai bickering in the little room where her TV was. Probably watching wrestling or something of that sort. Otherwise, the temple was quiet.

Sweeping my hair up in a ponytail and slipping into a baggy green shirt and jeans, I went to sit at my desk and unwind with some homework…when my cell buzzed. To the song "Second Chance."

Yep. My mom.

"Hello?" I asked after hitting the little green button.

"Hey there sweetie."

I couldn't help but freeze a little. Her tone was so warm and sweet, the way she got when she knew she did something bad. Or she knew I was annoyed with her. Which was a little of all of the above really.

"Hi mom." I opened my medical terminology book, turning to the pages I needed to read, starting to browse over the section on the history of Latin prefixes and suffixes.

"How did you sleep?"

"It was ok. Went and hung out with friends." Turn page, continue browsing, continue playing it cool…

"Were any of these friends…ah…you know..?"

"I don't know why you're trying to hide it, ma. Dad saw enough yesterday with seeing some dude fly around." Though now that I think on it…Dad didn't seem all that shocked.

"Oh, well, your dad had known for ages."

I snorted a little. "Please don't let this be one of those things where I learn I'm really some half demon princess and the last of my race and I have to save the world. My life is like bad fanfiction already."

"What the hell are you talking about?" She started to chuckle though.

Turn page, more reading. "Oh nothing, just rambling. Anyways, what's up?" Now this was the crucial moment. My mom would either be offended I assumed an ulterior motif besides her just wanting to chat it up with her eldest daughter…or she really had an ulterior motif but would still be offended anyways.

There was a small pause. A very slight, pointed pause.

"I'm sorry…about yesterday."

I sighed slowly from my end. Both from relief and from resignation. Like with Hiei, it was hard for me to stay mad at my mother for very long. "It's fine mom, I'm not mad or anything-" She cut me off though.

"No, it really is my fault. It just goes to show what a shitty mother I am." Aaaaand there goes the moment of peace. The conversation for the next 10 or so minutes consisted of my mother lamenting about what a horrible person she was and how it was terrible I had a mother like her. Eventually she had vented long enough and let me get back to my homework.

Just as I hung up, a voice made itself known in my doorway. "Seems your family has a way of making everything about themselves, hmm?" I raised my head from my textbook to see the fox himself in my doorway.

"Don't you have class today?" I asked, avoiding his question.

"They were cancelled. The professor was out sick today. May I come in?" I nodded, while turning back to my book as Kurama sat himself on the stool to my vanity set. He sat facing my back, as I could feel him looking at me until I turned around, straddling my own chair so our eyes met.

He studied me before he spoke. "How are things between you and Hiei coming along?"

My slight, hesitant shrug and blush told him everything he needed to know. His smile was almost on the verge of a smirk. "Human senses aren't developed enough, but to those like Jin and myself, we can smell Hiei's scent on you." My eyebrows went up.

"Like his cologne or something?"

A chuckle. Like the kind of chuckle a parent gives a child when they ask a silly question. It made me flush. "No. When demons for example are intimate with each other, their pheromones rub off on one another that signals to other demons and creatures with higher senses that you (for the time being) have been claimed. It comes off as a type of scent for the most part."

"So…Wait, does EVERYONE know what happened last night?" This had me nearly bolting out of my chair. Yusuke and Kuwabara would never let me hear the end of it! And poor little Yukina…shit and my own grandmother-

"Calm yourself," soothed Kurama. "No one knows except for myself, Jin, Yusuke, and your grandmother." I groaned, slumping in my chair even more. Going from flee mode to total, utter defeat. Hiei's smugness drifted forth but I growled at him. Stupid males and their masculine control issue thingies…

"Still…Yusuke will tease me about it, I don't care that you know since you have enough tact to be a gentlemen…but Jin and Genkai…" I nibbled at my lower lip, resting my chin on my palm. It just felt weird to me for my own grandma to know. And Jin…well, things were going to be awkward for sure.

I may be a bit dense, but I wasn't a dummy.

Of course I knew Jin kinda-sorta-maybe like(d) me.

"And Genkai..?"

"Kurama, she's my freakin' GRANDMA! I may as well have told a nun I own a vibrator!" I buried my face against my arms with a groan. I was not having the best of mornings. Briefly behind my closed lids I saw Hiei out back by the little vegetable garden, thoughtfully watching Yukina from the shadows of the treetops, half watching her and half listening to Kurama and I.

I peeked up at Kurama, who was softly smirking. Though a brow was raised slightly. "Your grandmother is not as saintly as some people seem to believe, Xannah."

"It's not that…sometimes she can be so…austere, I guess." I tightened my ponytail, fiddled with the ends before releasing the braid and letting the moist, curly mass fall down past my shoulders so I could twirl a curl around my finger. Though as the seconds passed…I started to calm.

I mean, he did have a point.

If she really did know, wouldn't she be flaming pissed or something?

Slowly the tension eased from my shoulders and I let out a slow, deep breath. Calm…just keep calm…I've had enough excitement for one morning.

"See? All is well. But your grandmother was not why I came."

"Hmm?" I perked up a little, as did Hiei. I could feel more of his attention shift to my end rather then being split to me and Yukina. His thoughts were silent but the curious undertone was evident. I tried to feel a twinge of annoyance…but I got nothing. So I crossed my arms and looked steadily at Kurama to let him know I was listening in.

He continued while looking at me steadily. No malice. No kindness. Just simply talking with no negative or positive emotions tied in. "I hope that if and when this mental connection between you and Hiei fades or leaves completely, it won't cause unnecessary…complications."

My brow went up, and I felt Hiei softly growl a warning.

"Meaning…?" I wanted him to get to the point. Right now. I had seen enough of Kurama at this point to know that his old kitsune habits died hard. He could still be a bit shady.

He looked at me, continuing to just gaze and stare and I felt Hiei's low, humming growl buzz in the back of my head like low static on a radio. I tried to hush him, but I may as well have been trying to communicate with a wall.

"I'll leave that for you interpret," he said at last, and before I could manage to say much else, he left.

I stared after the doorway even after he had gone from sight.

* * *

Last semi meaningless chapter. My creative juices are flowing a little bit again. Next chapter will have more plot More of Xannah's past, and who this "Ashley" is.


	18. Feels like Home

Chapter 18: Feels like Home

Note: I recommend you guys listen to the song this chapter is named after Feels like Home by Edwina Hayes. And this starts off kind off from the dreaming sequence she had back in chapter 12. Darker themes ahead, kiddies.

* * *

**Xannah curled up in a little ball as far from she could from the man who called himself Diego Valentine. Her skirt was in shreds as was her top, and was barely covering her physique as she simply stared at the monster with eyes wide like a doe's and as blank as paper.**

**Diego himself was calm and composed, in his casual pair of jeans and shirt. One leg elegantly crossed over the other, arms loosely crossed over his chest. His dark hair was clean cut, and dark. He was very Italian in appearance. Benign with eyes full of laughter…**

**Xannah knew better.**

**The windows were too dark to really see where they were going, and occasionally they'd pass by trees (or what looked like trees. Or were they people?) and other things, very rarely stopping and endlessly twisting and turning.**

"**You will go by Sunshine now." Diego's voice was a deep, baritone. Like rumbling thunder. Slowly he looked to her from the corner of his eye. "Are we clear?"**

**She stared at him. And blinked.**

"**Good."**

**The limo started to climb upwards, though the ride was smooth. Then…they stopped. Just like that. The driver was out of the limo and coming around to Diego's side to open the door. As Xannah began to slowly, weakly sit up, her eyes strayed from Diego to the door handle. And he saw it.**

"**You'd never make it out of this car," he said lowly, barely looking at her as the elderly man opened the door with a bow. Diego then proceeded to drag the teenager out by her hair. She cried out in pain, wriggled and writhed as she was dragged into a place she didn't get a good look at. But she smelled salt…**

**Then the door shut…and it was utter darkness.**

**As soon as the sound of a slamming door was behind them, the lights slowly came own, illuminating the room the way candles would. There was enough light to see, but the place still seemed dark. Dim…**

**As her eyes adjusted, Xannah saw bodies.**

**There was no furniture she could see except for the occasional chair. But there were girls. Women, **_**children**_…! **Scantily clothed or not at all, their skin hanging from their bones in some cases, so thin and frail they looked anorexic or drugged or a bit of both or something much worse that made previously beautiful figures so-**

"**Clothes," barked Diego with such force that it made Xannah flinch and jump. It was going by too fast. As soon as Diego's words left his lips, the figures nearest to Xannah and him were scurrying forth as quick at their bodies would allow them. The clothes they did wear, they were stepping out of them as fast as possible, holding them out to Diego desperately, like an offering to an angry god.**

**He yanked Xannah forward a little more so she was more to the front of him. "Clothe her. We leave in 1 minute." His dark eyes swept over the room. There were stairs that lead upstairs (to where?) and a few figures were slumped over on the stairs. Sitting, standing, some sleeping…**

"**Kaylee, come."**

**At Diego's command, a little girl immediately ran over to him from the stairs. She had been one of the ones sleeping. Or pretending too anyways. She looked around 7 or 8, and as she nervously smiled up at the man, her two front teeth were missing. She wore a tank top and scanty shorts that barely covered her bony backside. He patted her on the blonde pigtailed head, the kindest gesture Xannah ever saw him do. One of the few she would ever see him do.**

"**Get in the car," he told her, and she did. She vanished from Xannah's view, and as soon as she did the women were declothing the shredded bits from Xannah's form and quickly fitting her in things that fit. If something didn't fit, they roughly yanked it off her and found something a size or two bigger or smaller as needed.**

**No one spoke.**

**Xannah looked into the varying hues of the eyes around her. All the women had blue or green eyes, empty and dull. Like those of the dolls she had seen-**

"**We're leaving. Thank you ladies." Diego grabbed Xannah's wrist and off they were again. She craned her neck to look at them over her shoulder as they headed out the door. They all just stood there, watching them blankly. Slowly, the door closed and she saw them no more.**

* * *

I stirred, slowly opening my eyes. It took a few tries, but once I was fully able to open my eyes, the soft blue light of early morning was filling my room and everything was very quiet. Still. I took a deep breath, slowly exhaling, making a move to get out of bed.

Only I couldn't.

"Hiei, c'mon," I murmured softly, peeking at him over my shoulder. I already knew he was awake as bat boy simply looked at me with those big red eyes of his. His arm didn't move from it's spot around my waist, and I nudged him in the rib lightly, and still he wouldn't budge.

"Who is this Kaylee?"

I froze.

When I didn't answer, he merely did his half snort, half "Hn" noise and made to let me go. In a gesture that I think surprised us both I placed my hand over his arm and kept it where it was. He froze, as did I. Our eyes slowly met.

Neither of us said anything. Our thoughts spoke for us.

And so I laid back down slowly, and hesitantly moved back so my back was pressed against his front. He gave no coherent thought to it, simply held me where I placed myself. I was grateful for that. I mean, get real, neither of us are overly sappy individuals. Well, I can be. But Hiei? Get a clue.

I was lucky I got the bits I did.

It was silent in my room. But in our heads, I was trying to sort my thoughts and he patiently waited. Catching glimpses of my disorganized mess in my mind as I began to weave things back into their more cohesive processes.

And so I told him…about meeting Kaylee anyways.

* * *

**The limo was silent as Xannah once again found herself being driven to a new location. All the while her mind was as numb as her body. If she didn't think about what was happening, it wasn't real right? It couldn't be real. Her dull eyes stared ahead, seeing nothing as she thought of home. Of warm beds and her video games and her father's laughter-**

**Then she felt a tiny, cold little hand in hers.**

**Slowly, she looked down at the child besides her. Even looking back at the memory, she remembered that first meeting clearly.**

**The blond pigtails were held up by little white hair ties. Pale brown freckles were sporadically spread over her nose and cheekbones, skin the pale tan of someone who used to get sunshine and was suddenly deprived from it. Her eyes were bicolored, with one being greyish blue and the other a deep green that stared up at Xannah with a childish innocence she somehow managed to have kept.**

"**I'm Kaylee. Wanna be my friend?"**

* * *

My thoughts tethered off from there, swirling in too many directions and on too many points in my story for Hiei to be able to follow better. His thoughts became frustrated, trying too piece things together but none of it really made much sense. There wasn't much of any way he could without getting confused so our attention snapped towards present day.

"She's one of the ones you were held captive with," he murmured in the quiet. I could hear Genkai stirring around the house, but it was otherwise peaceful. I simply nodded, speaking in equally soft tones.

"She was Diego's daughter. And mildly autistic. She was such a sweet little girl, and kept trying to make us smile."

"'Us'?"

I nodded, brushing some hair from my eyes. "It was me and Kaylee and two men. A retired college professor named Eugene Smith and a rather cantankerous man named Jasper who had known Diego for years and had apparently…ah…lost his use to him. So he was tossed down there with the rest of us."

A little later as the day progressed and things got back into another semi normal routine, I started to think on a lot of different subjects. School, my family dilemma (how could I tell my parents I no longer want to go home?), Hiei, the past, my friends, a little more Hiei…

Then that night, sitting in front of my vanity mirror and getting ready for bed, I realized that things had become a little too peaceful.

With Jory gone…who was going to be taking his place?

* * *

Bwahaha! Good times, good times. Hope you guys enjoyed this snippet. Enjoy what's too come


	19. I Stand Alone

Chapter 19: I stand Alone

* * *

"That is all for today. See you all next week and have a good weekend!"

Out of all my professors, I loved Ushihara the best. He was tall for a Japanese man. Slender, almost looking like a basketball player. His hair was longer than normal as well, shoulder length that he held back in a low ponytail. To say I was fascinated with him sounded kind of creepy, but it was a loose way to put it.

Hiei didn't like him. Which wasn't abnormal. He didn't seem to like any males outside of our group around me. Sure he would look passive on the outside and like he didn't give a shit, but he obviously did. I teased him about it just to see him scowl and glower and growl and all that fun stuff.

I could be a sadistic bitch sometimes.

I adjusted my hearing aide as people were filing out, making sure to adjust the settings as best I could. Fixing my tank top, then my belt on my jeans, my bag was slung over my shoulder and I was about to head out the door. Ushihara called my name though.

"Xannah, could you hold on for me please?"

Another thing I love about this teacher. He didn't bother with honorifics.

"Sure." Turning, I walked over to where he was by his desk at the front of the room. Shuffling around some papers, he seemed to be looking for something. Then he handed me an envelope. My eyes went wide. I met his eyes slowly as I took the offering respectfully.

"Is that..?"

He grinned. "See for yourself."

With shaking hands, I began to tear open the envelope. I could feel Hiei paying slightly more attention to my side of the link now (the lazy ass is usually napping around this time and he growled in response to this) as I read the contents of the envelope.

A few seconds passed in silence before I slowly gazed up at Ushihara. I felt like crying.

"When do I start?"

"Next week. Congratulations Xannah on getting the internship."

* * *

Either my grandma really was psychic, or she just assumed already I was going to get the internship the way some grandmas assume their little pride and joys will get the lead part in the play, etc.

When I finished walking up the steps to the temple with Hiei at my side occasionally commenting on my slowness, I was greeted by a throng of the people I had met so far since being here. Rinku, Touya, Chuu, Yusuke, Kurama, Keiko, Yukina, Kuwabara, his older sister Shizuru…

"There's the little sheila!" crowed a rather tipsy (possibly drunk) Chuu, who scooped me up and spun me around like I weighed nothing. To his credit, I probably didn't. My hair whipped around my face as I held onto him, laughing despite myself. I was in too good a mood to feel self-conscious or nervous around all of these people, regardless of whether they knew me or not.

My scar.

My deafness.

Out of sight, out of mind. For now anyways.

He set me down before Rinku who gave me a high five and a hug around the waist before scampering off to do his thing. As my eyes went around over the familiar faces like Shizuru with her cigarette, Yukina with her gentle smile, Hiei with his normally neutral expression…There was someone missing.

Where was the third red head of our group?

"Where's Jin?" My question was directed to Touya, who gave a very small shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not sure. He _was_ here." Yusuke put his arm around my shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. I looked up into his face and his eyes held understanding. He was only a year or so older than me, but sometimes Yusuke could be surprisingly perceptive and wise. Sometimes.

"He wouldn't miss your big moment for the world, Xan. C'mon, Yukina made cake." With Yusuke at one side, Kurama at my other (when did foxy get there?), and Hiei's annoyed thoughts involving his hatred of crowds, I was led inside.

I wasn't worried about Jin. Of course not! He was his own man (err, demon) and could take care of himself. But it still felt odd that he wasn't here. He lived here now, but off and on for a while he'd disappear. Sure he'd show up, but only to leave again. I had a feeling why…

Because of Hiei and I being a…"item", I guess.

Maybe it was wrong of me for things to progress the way they did. Hell, I could barely find anything to define what Hiei and I have. None of it matched up with any one category. We don't hate each other (He 'hn'ed at this), we aren't in love (no response), we sometimes don't even like each other (another 'hn') and bicker quite often (mostly mentally. Hiei's not much of a talker anyways). Yet he's taken up residence in my room off and on when the mood strikes him and will sometimes listen to my mental rants with something akin to patience…

I know Jin likes me. Well, liked anyways.

Maybe if I talked to him, it could set things right again? Or at least hear him out.

Then Hiei's words in my mind stopped me.

_Then you must care about the foolish creature._

My response startled Hiei.

_Maybe._

He went quiet at this. His thoughts suddenly became rather distant and thoughtful as I took this opportunity to immerse myself in the festivities. I tried to focus on the more positive things I had going for me right now. Like this cake that I felt like running off with it looked so good. Or the comforting presence of everyone around me as we started to eat and revel in the happy atmosphere of just being here and being **alive**-

And then Jin stumbled through the door.

Covered in blood.

"Xannah…"

Everyone was frozen for a few precious seconds.

"JIN!" Yusuke all but dove as he caught his friend before he collapsed to the ground. His clothes were dark pink as the red blood stained the white cloth. Touya and Kurama were the next ones to rush to his side, checking over his wounds.

Then Hiei was by my side, who hadn't been there moments before.

"We have unwelcome guests," he said, eyes flickering between Kurama and Genkai. Both of whom looked at each other, nodded, and moved past the rest of us outside.

I could only stare at Jin.

…No…

Fear. A dark, choking fear that squeezed the breath from my lungs and chased away the joy that had started to settle in my heart. Jin was hurt. And it didn't take a super genius to figure out why and by whom.

"They found me," I whispered. Hiei didn't even look at me as he spoke, "Calm yourself. Feeling fear will do nothing for us." He shifted slightly, and I worked at calming. But…I couldn't. I didn't care how this was affecting Hiei personally with our connection. All that was flashing through my head was the images, the fear, the way they looked as they died-

"Stop," hissed Hiei sharply. I felt someone put an arm around my shoulders but I couldn't acknowledge who it was. Hiei's mind was butting against mine, trying (with harsh and hissed words mind you) to calm me down. It wasn't working. I could feel Hiei recoil from me. Both from my weak state of being and from the negative emotions and thoughts of mine that were interfering with his own.

* * *

"Who are you?" demanded Genkai, arms crossed with Yusuke on one side and Kurama on the other. Touya was behind them, as well as Rinku and Chuu. The answer from across the grounds by the top of the stairs was a laugh, soft and airy. But dark.

The man was darkly tan, with equally dark hair. His eyes were deep and smoldering as his arms were crossed, thin bands of muscle under the skin. He had some faint wrinkles on his face, but was aging with grace, whatever his age now was. He wore a white dress shirt and dark slacks, an expensive looking watch on his wrist.

"I'm here to get back my Sunshine."

"Answer the old lady, grandpa," snarled Yusuke.

Diego Valentine smiled slowly…almost kindly.

"Diego Valentine. Xannah Marie Diegos in my property."

"You will never even cross that threshold whole, only in pieces." Kurama's tone was low and deadly. So this was the infamous crime lord. Seems prison really has no place for the rich. The watch alone could pay the rest of Kuwabara and Kurama's way through college and then some.

Diego's smile melted into something that could only be described as twisted. The smile morphed into something close to a smirk, with one eye giving a violent twitch. He flexed his fingers, which gave a sharp, violent crack. The noise was almost deafening it seemed. With a soft chuckle that didn't match the ferocity that seemed to come off him in waves, Diego shook his head. As if to a small child.

"I'm afraid that won't work-"

"Don't you DARE lay a hand on my baby!"

Out of no where it seemed, Xannah's mom came up behind Diego. She was roughly the man's height (both being fairly tall), her pale eyes wide and irate with a fierceness that came from an overprotective mother.

"KARMEN, NO!"

* * *

"What was that?"

I thought I heard something. It sounded like Genkai-

Then a scream. Someone yelling 'Spirit Gun' and 'Rose Whip'. A curse here and there-

"Yukina, get the others some where safe," uttered Hiei lowly to his sister. Yukina nodded, deep red eyes wide with fear. What was going on? Why was it so hard for me to find my voice to speak? Why was it suddenly so hard to hear what was going on? Was my hearing aid acting up or was everything just that damn quiet?

I felt my wrist grabbed as Hiei yanked me up. Then my body was pressed flush against his, chest to chest, hips to hips, heart to heart. His thoughts were frantic, yet there was an organized way about them. He was communicating with Kurama, who's voice came through for me as well in bits and pieces.

_Karmen is fighting Diego. Genkai…Yusuke is trying too…get her out of here…girls will be…Hiei, do it…I don't know…he should-_

"We're leaving." To describe what it was like to teleport with Hiei would be too hard. The closest I could think of was that funny falling sensation you get when you're laying down or just sitting there. It steals your breath for a second and scares you shitless, and then it passes. He brought us on top of the roof first.

I saw it all.

My mother was _glowing _like a motherfuckin' light saber. A deep, burnt brown color that shimmered in the surrounding air. Diego was there, and he went to kick her out of the way as she stood before him, but she dodged like it was nothing. Jumping out of the way as Yusuke's bright blue Spirit gun tore through the air towards the man who had stolen so much from so many people-

Then we transported again.

A whirring sound flew past my ear, sharp like the buzzing of a bee.

Hiei grunted…and then we were falling. Quite literally falling, landing harshly on the roof and both of us rolling down and off the side. The tiles had cut into my skin and pressed hard onto the surface to where I just knew I would bruise like all hell and oh Gods what happened to Hiei?

Then I was grabbed again. I couldn't scream because whoever this person was had blue eyes and was kissing me hard as the wind rushed passed my ears and blew my hair every which way.

Jin.

I found myself holding onto him tightly as he took me away from the chaos.


	20. It's Almost Easy

Chapter 20: It's Almost Easy

* * *

I was in shock.

For one, I couldn't feel or hear Hiei. At all.

Two, my own mother was fighting the man who had haunted my dreams and hosted my nightmares.

Three, I was worried about everyone. How many people were there coming after me? What about Keiko and Yukina and Shizuru who were non fighters-

Four (last one I swear), Jin was KISSING me! K.I.S.S'ing me!

"J-Jin..!" My words were a little muffled against his lips. My shirt was getting sticky with his blood that had yet to dry. It was hard to gauge how much blood he had lost, or if he just bled easily. My thoughts were torn between worry over him, worry over the others, worry over Hiei, and how freakin' _soft _Jin's hair is-

"Hold on, Xannah."

He gave another burst of speed and wind that made me yelp and bury my face against his neck. I could smell the sharp tang of his sweat of blood and even taste it on my lips when they inadvertently brushed against his skin. I think he shivered. It made me shiver too.

Where was Hiei?

Where was Jin taking me?

Rather abruptly, the sunlight vanished from around us, and as I lifted up my head, I saw we were in a cave. Well, more of a indent in the side of a mountain. I could see the opening, and it was over looking the woods of Genkai's property. I could very faintly see her temple in the far off distance. Or maybe it was just a tree.

Then I realized that Jin had yet to put me down.

We looked at each other as he slowly set me back onto my feet. His ears gave a slight flick as we simply stood before each other, staring at one another.

He looked thin. His ribs looked a little more pronounced against his skin. My eyes trailed up to his face, meeting his blue eyes with my own which suddenly seemed so sad and so just…lonely. Like a puppy who had been kicked quite a few times-

"You doin' ok?" His eyes scoured over me, as if checking for injuries. I looked down at myself. I was nicked in a few places from the fall, and had some dirt smudges on my skin and clothes. It was nothing life threatening or even painful. Then again, I felt so numb. I couldn't stop wondering where Hiei was and why I couldn't hear him-

"Where's Hiei?"

Jin kept his gaze steadily on mine as he answered. "He got downed by a sniper, he did. Took 'im in theh side. No worries though, he'll be right as rain." His voice lost the same chipperness. He was trying to soothe my fears, but his heart wasn't in it.

An awkward silence settled over us.

_**Xannah…?**_

I gasped sharply, which made Jin's ears twitch again. Hiei!

Hiei? 

His thoughts were rushing my way again. He had been out for just a few minutes, and pain flickered through his processes. Though it either wasn't as serious as I feared or he just had a very high pain tolerance. His mind melded closer to mine, seeing through my eyes. I glanced out to the cave entrance.

_**I'm coming to get you. Stay where you are.**_

My eyes met Jin's again. One of his little fangs was sticking out of his mouth. It was adorable.

"Jin…look, I'm sorry if I hurt you."

He simply looked at me.

"With Hiei and I. I didn't realize how much it would hurt you." Gah, how lame did I sound? I may as well have not said anything in the first place. I looked down and away, biting on my chapped lower lip. Anxious, scared, tired, worried, angry…so many emotions were flowing through me.

"Oi, I'm not hurt by what ye two have."

What?

I looked up at the wind master, puzzled. He was smiling softly. It was hard too tell whether it was genuine or not. What he said next had my heart leaping into my throat and my face feeling red and hot with embarrassment and shock.

"It jus' means I hafta try harder for yeh, Xan. I know dat sounds like a silly ol'thing and folks say it so often. But I mean it. You're beautiful. And I'd very much like the have yeh."

My hand went to my scar without even realizing it.

Jin's hand shot out, taking my hand and firmly putting it back down by my side. Then he leaned forth and softly kissed the mark that marred one side of my face.

"Beautiful…" he whispered. My eyes widened, and then Hiei's voice sounded in my head again.

_**Xannah, that's not Jin!**_

* * *

BWAHAH! Teasing little breadcrumbs for my pretties. Enjoy till chapter 21


	21. The Crow and the Butterfly

Chapter 21: The Crow and the Butterfly

* * *

_**Don't let him know you know he's a fake. Play along with it or he could kill you.**_

Hiei talking about my death so lightly almost made me give him a sharp retort. However, the tendrils of his thoughts were wispy at best (trying to hide them perhaps?), but I knew them well enough for what they were. Fear. Hiei was scared. But not for anything other than…me?

Nah. Couldn't be. Right?

My eyes stayed focus on 'Jin'. Or whoever he was. He was looking at me so tenderly, it was a little uncomfortable. The more I thought about it, the more plausible him being a fake became. The real Jin would've been hyperactive and bouncing all over the place, or itching to finish his fight.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I whispered. His ears gave another twitch (another clue, his ears ain't THAT twitchy!) as he smiled. "Why wouldn't I be? Yeh done nothing wrong to meh. And I love yeh Xannah."

.

_**Remember that's not Jin you moron. **_I sent a mental picture of me hitting Hiei over the head with a frying pan. "I know that dipshit!"

Uh oh.

Jin blinked at my sudden verbal outburst. And grinned. "See? Yeh do care! Even if it's only an itty bitty bit!" Phew. Oh, good. I seemed to have made a fairly good mistake. Hiei was growling under his breath (mental breath I should add). He was almost here, and I could see bits of the forest around him through his eyes as he jumped from treetop to treetop to get here.

I looked away from Jin, playing it shy. He chuckled…which definitely didn't sound like Jin at all!

"You're so cute," he purred. Purring? When the fuck did Jin purr? Has Jin EVER purred? Dammit Hiei, get here already!

"Step away from the girl. Slowly."

I spun around, eyes lighting up as I saw Hiei, in all his batboy glory. Well, a little nicked from our fall, but a nick to Hiei is less than a papercut, all things considered. His red eyes were fixated solely on Jin. Or whoever this was. They just stared each other down as Hiei's words came out as a low snarl.

"Xannah, come to me."

I didn't get the chance to even take a step.

"I don't think so, pal."

His arm snaked out and wrapped around my middle and yanked me back against his bloody chest. I cried out as his other hand was on my neck. Hiei had his sword half out of his sheath, his thoughts calm. But he was torn. Fixated partially on me and partially on 'Jin'. I gulped, and it hurt with his hand tight around my throat.

I couldn't see what was going on, but I felt like what or who was holding me…didn't feel the same. The hands were colder and softer, less calloused like Jin's were supposed to be. The fingers longer then what I was used to feeling or seeing, for they could easily wrap around my neck like coils. I wanted to bring my hips back and slam them into his crotch, elbow him, anything to get him to get off of me! There was no longer any doubt that whoever was holding me was. Not. Jin!

"Lemme…go!" I wheezed, his fingers starting to clench around my throat which made it hard to breathe. I could feel my heart pounding in my temples. Hiei's eye twitched and mentally he snarled every vile curse, Demonic and Human, that he could think of. But he didn't speak. "Not a chance, dearie," wheezed this strange, alien voice in my ear.

A forked tongue flicked against the dark skin of my scar and I couldn't stop the scream.

That set Hiei off. Big time.

What some people don't take into account is when you share a mind link with someone, you tend to overlook a lot of details of the other person's thoughts. Like some of the more trivial actions they commit (breathing, walking, blinking, sneezing, etc.) and some of the other things they do as well. However, if you focus hard enough, you can tune into these things. It's even easier to do when you both are focusing on the same thoughts or actions.

I am probably one of very few people who can see Hiei when he "teleports". Which isn't anything more then him just going really freakin' fast.

Under any other circumstance, I'd have a better time lifting an elephant then trying to watch him.

But with our minds linked the way they were, I could see every step in slow motion. The graceful arch of his blade as he brought it down and severed the arms that held me in two side swipes, taking no more than a flick of his wrist. I could feel the precision and the self restraint in every flex of his muscles as he worked at freeing me without hurting me. Then, before I had time to gasp, he yanked me against him with his free arm as he used the other to drive the katana forth and pierce the bastard in the heart.

I wasn't afraid to cry. So I did.

Not out of fear or relief. But gratitude and longing.

Gratitude for saving me.

And longing, because I wish he had been there to cut down the ones who hurt me.

* * *

"How's your side?"

"Fine."

From treetop to treetop we went, back to the temple. Kurama gave us the all clear when Diego and his allies retreated. No one besides Jin got hurt, and he was already recovering. I leaned my head against Hiei's shoulder, eyes closed. The wind rushing into my face made my eyes water.

I had bruises on my neck already from being grabbed there. I never turned around to see who the fake Jin really was. The only thing I know of the guy is that his fingers were really long and pale, and he felt tall, skinny, and bony. Shape-shifter? Magician? Demon? Human?

I didn't care. I tried not too, anyways.

Hiei got me out of there right as the tears started. He said nothing, but his thoughts went something like "I don't want you to see that".

He could have a heart. When he wanted.

* * *

"Oh my baby! My beautiful babygirl!"

Hiei had barely set me down before my mom had enveloped me in one of those smothering, motherly hugs that choke the life right out of you. I couldn't breathe, slowly hugging her back after a pause and after my brain had time to process. Though of course, right afterwards I felt my face heat up because EVERYONE was staring at us.

"Ma…MA! You're embarrassing me." I grumbled against her neck.

"Oh shuttup."

"Yessum."

My grandma was the first to break the slightly awkward silence as I was cuddled by my mother. "It doesn't take a genius to know they're after Xannah. They have a lot of reasons for wanting her dead and have apparently invested a lot of time and manpower into making sure she doesn't get away." Her eyes swept over every one there.

"This is my granddaughter they want dead. I'm going to do anything in my power to keep her alive." Her eyes narrowed, and for the first time I noticed they were beginning to show signs of cataracts. "You can help keep her safe, or get the hell out of my way."

There was a small, collective silence.

"I'm in."

"Yusuke?"

He looked over at me with a grin. "Hey, I haven't had a challenge in a long time. Besides, you're not that bad for an American." Kuwabara was the next to speak, "I'm with Urameshi! Scumbags like that don't deserve to live."

"You have my support Genkai," softly spoke Kurama, arms crossed and hair as red as ever.

One by one everyone gave their own pledge in their own way and fashion. I couldn't help but feel admiration for all of them. Did they have any idea what kind of man they were messing with? What kind of monster he really was-

"Thank you all, but it's not necessary."

I looked up at my mom with widened eyes. "Ma!" I hissed softly.

Her pale blue eyes stayed fixated on my grandmother though. "Xannah is coming home with me back to America." I heard Yusuke snort but he made no comment. For that I was grateful. Hiei stepped forth, slightly behind and to the side of me while my mother still had me wrapped up in her arms.

"You'll be signing her death warrant taking her back to your country."

Karmen raked her eyes over Hiei. She didn't look impressed. "I doubt you could stop me, **bat boy**."

Hiei's eye twitched.

Oh. Snap.

I had a feeling with this conflict of interest, my mom and Hiei were going to be butting heads the most.

* * *

I am stopping here while I get a better feel of how I want things to progress from this point. Enjoy 3


	22. Find your way Back

Chapter 22: Find Your Way Back

* * *

"Karmen, you can't take Xannah back. Hiei is right. Diego has a greater hold in the Americas then he does in Japan. You'd be putting your daughter in danger for the sake of your own selfishness!"

My mother narrowed her eyes at her mother. "I don't like being told what to do, mom."

I think it showed on everyone's face how odd it was to have someone called Genkai 'mom'. Though most of my attention was focused on Hiei and his feelings. He was seething. Torn between taking me away far, far away from here and doing the most diplomatic thing and trying to reason with my mother.

Wait, what the fuck was I doing just standing here? I'm not some little kid! I'm legal age, thankyouverymuch.

I broke from my mom's grip to turn around and face her. "Mom, they're right! I'm safer here then I would be anywhere else. We even have the Prince of the Spirit World on our side. Besides, I know and trust these-"

"Oh please," she snorted. "You've only been here a few months. Not even. Anyone can put up an act. How do I know these aren't all spies of that asshole anyways?" Her eyes fiercely flicked over every demon standing by us. "How do I know these demons aren't like your little friend Jory was?"

Ouch.

Hiei hissed so venomously at my soft gasp that it made my mom fully turn to face him with a brow raised. I felt sick. "Karmen," warned Genkai in a low voice. "Hiei and Xannah are connected in a way you cannot comprehend. You hurt her, you're hurting him and vice versa. And Hiei is not one to take anyone's crap, not even yours."

I held my breath as they looked at each other.

Then someone's phone rang.

My mom, without tearing her eyes away from Hiei, slowly opened her little flip phone and put it up to her ear. I could faintly hear the voice on the other end. It was feminine, or at least higher pitched then a man's would be. "Mmhmm. Just up the long stairs. She'll be happy to see you." Then she hung up.

Now it was my turn to raise a brow.

"Karmen…"

"Lay off mom," snarled my mother so suddenly that I heard a few people gasp, taken aback by the tone. Me, I was used to it, and all Hiei did was 'Hn'. Then I saw his eyes sweep past my mom, past me, and towards the stairs that were behind us. I noticed a lot of the others went and looked past me.

I turned around.

Just as a girl my age came up to the top of the stairs.

She was taller then I by a good few inches. Or she was the last time I had seen her. Her hair was a deep blonde, almost golden in golden with sporadic strands of natural light brown highlights and was in a high ponytail. Her eyes were a soft green color, almost like pistachios, and a pleasant almond shape. Even beneath her white blouse and jeans, I knew she had the body of a ballerina. Slim, muscular, and toned. Her little nose wrinkled a little as she surveyed the people before her…and then our eyes met.

Locked.

Held.

"Molly?"

"Xannah!"

I couldn't believe it! Molly was here. She was really here. In Japan! I ran towards her and her towards me. The closer I got to her, the more I saw she did indeed get much taller. She had always been regal and elegant, and now her height made up for it. She had to be close to 6 foot, give or take an inch. Molly's skin was softly tanned from her time having been in the sun most of her life. As we hugged each other tightly with squeals of greeting, she was soft and warm and smelled really, really good-

Hiei's mind brushed against mine, curiosity and annoyance in his tone. He had yet to have seen Molly in my thoughts and dreams. She was an old friend, and I let him know such. When he saw exactly where we had met, he quieted and became content. Sort of.

Molly was once a 'resident' of the Sea House.

"What are you DOING here?" I breathed, temporarily breaking away from her so that I could look her over better. She seemed to be doing really well. She wasn't as skinny as she once was, and color had returned to her cheekbones that once wasn't present. To people who didn't know anything about her, she looked like a normal, healthy young adult. In response to me, she smiled. No one around us was saying anything, simply watching us.

"Your mom invited me to come along, and so I did." The silence around us was broken by Genkai, eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the girl before me. "Who are you?" Her tone was normal, but I saw Molly get a bit sheepish. Genkai made younger folks feel that way, whether she meant too or not.

"I'm Molly Dolores. I'm a friend of Xannah's, ma'am." Her Japanese was choppy, but understandable. Her eyes widened as she bowed lowly, "Please forgive my lack of manners! I am still learning!" A few chuckles went around, the atmosphere softening a little. Touya directed his eyes and a question towards me, "How do you know her exactly Xannah?" I looked down rubbing the back of my head. How to keep this sweet and simple…

"Molly was one of the girls Diego was keeping captive at a place called the Sea House."

Things got tense out of no where again. My mother simply had her arms crossed, watching all of this silently and with a shadow of a smile of her lips. Kurama, Yusuke, and Genkai kept looking between Molly and me, uneasy. I couldn't stand this tension, "Would someone mind telling me what the problem is here?"

"Xannah…" began Genkai slowly, as if trying to figure out how to best say what it is she wanted to say. "Molly is a survivor of being one of Diego's girls, correct?" I nodded. "How do we know she may not still be connected to him in some way?"

I gasped, and then growled. Yusuke's eyes widened, taken aback by my actions but I didn't give two shits.

"No one in their right mind would want to even say that bastard's name if you knew what he had put all of us through!" Molly was catching snippets of our conversation, eyes going wide and nervous and she glanced over and said something to my mother. I didn't catch it, but it almost sounded like a "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring me here". My mother softly assured her it would be alright and continued watching me with my friends.

"And how do we know your friend here is in her right mind?" Kurama's words were soft, a neutral voice of reason in this current predicament.

"She's fine."

"Hiei?" The fire demon had his arms crossed, eyes closed while the Jagan began to glow beneath his bandana. "She is innocent of anything. It is as she said. Karmen was the one who brought her here, and she knows nothing outside of interest to our situation." Once he had said his peace, he surprised us all by turning and pointing…directly at my ma?

"Perhaps you should talk to your spawn about using petty lures to get what she wants."

Huh?

"Explain," replied Genkai cooly, her arms crossed now. Chu muttered under his breath which made Rinku snicker. I was starting to think my bad feeling wasn't going to go unjustified for this one. Hiei smirked while my mother looked at him as if he was nothing more than a stain in the toilet bowl.

"She brought this girl with her for the soul purpose of trying to get Xannah to come home with them. Calling her to show up right after an ambush with the connections she has to Xannah and her past would make most of us suspicious…and make Xannah angry. Her hope was to make her angry enough or protective enough of her friend to leave. Or try to anyways."

"Wow Hiei, I've never heard you talk so much before," said Kuwabara.

"There's normally nothing significant for me to respond too."

"She's my daughter," said Karmen, stepping towards me and looking me in the eye. "I'll do anything to bring her home with me where she belongs, even if it means using one of her friends as a lure to get her here." I took a step back from the woman who I called my mother, eyes narrowed. Hiei's voice warned me to keep my anger in check. It was a strong catalyst to weakening the seal on me which bound my Second State abilities in my body. In turn, it also put a toll on Hiei's energy to keep me in check.

"You were the one who kicked me out in the first place after I told you I wanted to go live with Genkai!"

"Do you really hate your own family so much that you would want to move as far away as possible from us?"

I glared. "You know very well and good that's not the reason why I chose to come here! I came here to figure out my shit and to PROTECT my family! Do you really think you and dad could protect me against one of the world's greatest crime lords? Dad can't protect himself the way you can, and he's never even so much as raised his voice in all his life!" I was venting now. Everything was pouring out. Hiei was keeping our link open, experiencing what I was and sorting through my logic. Why he was doing this I had no idea and wasn't focused enough to figure it out.

"And what do I get? A 'get the fuck out of my face' and a kick in the ass out the door while dear ol' dad stood by and watched! I'm sorry if I'm not the Xannah you remember. I'm sorry I'm not your perfect, obedient child anymore! I'm sorry if I'm a messed up shell of what I once was that can't even protect the people she cares aboutMMM!"

My words were abruptly cut off as someone held me tightly to their chest with one arm. All I could see was black, and the rumbling voice that came from deep within his chest. And hear the sound of a katana starting to be drawn from its sheath.

"Leave. Now. If you know what's best for you."

I could just see my mother looking murderously at Hiei. "Don't tell me wha-!"

"Give it a rest, lady!" barked Yusuke. "You're going to drive her farther away from you if you keep pushing her like this."

"Why you-"

"Karmen." The tone in my grandmother's voice was almost as scary as the level of annoyance and murderous intent that silently poured off of Hiei. I knew he hated humans as his own general rule, and right now my mother was quickly becoming the top of his shit list. I couldn't blame him.

"You're my daughter and you know I love you. And I love Xannah too. She's as much a part of me as you are. But even I'm starting to lose my patience with your antics. Leave. Now. Come back tomorrow if you insist, but I think everyone here has had enough for one day."

Celebration ruination: One Diego Valentine.

Failed kidnap/murder(?) attempt: One copy cat…thing, and a legion of demon fighters.

I looked up just as my mother let out a stream of angry curses and started storming down the steps. Molly looked between me, her, and Hiei, confusion in her eyes before she seemed to decide to stay put.

Ruining my relationship with my mother: Simply priceless.

* * *

I didn't pay attention to anything around me, except for Hiei's arm around me. People were talking around us. Discussing strategies, possibilities of keeping watch at night for a little while until it looks like the smoke has cleared. Someone went to go check on Jin, who was now inside being attended for.

Jin…what was I going to do about Jin?

And Hiei…

His arm tightened around me slightly. I heard Genkai talk to Molly before suddenly I felt the odd falling sensation and felt my feet leave the ground. Next thing I knew we were in my room. And his lips were on mine. Or maybe mine had searched out his in desperation. I needed something real in this world to cling too.

I knew if we didn't have this mind link, Hiei would've never looked at me twice.

I knew if I hadn't been Genkai's granddaughter, I never would've met any of these people.

I knew if I hadn't have been kidnapped, Genkai would've been the last person on my mind. I'd be living my life happily-

Wait. I looked up into Hiei's eyes as he hovered over me, silently taking in my thoughts, I had an epiphany. Before all of this happened…wasn't I happy? Sure my love life isn't normal, but isn't normal overrated? My schoolwork was going well, I even got an internship at 18, I was making a lot of friends and was getting to know my grandmother who is a great woman in so many different ways…

"Now you're starting to understand," he said quietly to me. I wouldn't say he smiled, but it was something softer than a smirk. Just barely though. His body was laying over mine, and in a comfortable way. There was nothing sexual about this in either of our minds. I was craving someone, and he answered the call. In a way, he was craving someone too.

After having been denied love and affection almost all of his demon life, Hiei was starting to want the attention from me that I gave him in our more private moments when he allowed me to do so. It comforted him. In his way of thinking, it made him feel like he was "serving a purpose". It was nothing otherworldly like fighting in the Demon Tournament or killing the Toguro brothers. But he cared about Genkai as a comrade. And-

I stopped, though his phrase of thinking kept going.

**-care about you as well. You are a human. Yet I find myself gravitating towards you. A part of me despises what you are and what your kind has done to demons. Then again, by right you should hate and fear us as well. **He became a jumble again, before his words started to come together again.

**Perhaps you're right. The connection has changed us. Both together and as individuals. But without this connection, we would not be who we are today.**

He said something verbally to me. I jolted, startled before he slowly brought his lips to mine, It was the first genuine display of gentle affection he had shown me since we met. Careful of breaking this moment, of saying or thinking of something stupid that would make him move away in disgust. At this thought, he slowly, almost cautiously, afraid I would protest against this, wrapped his arms around me and turned onto his side and simply held me as he kissed me. And deepened the kiss along the way.

I fell asleep in his arms. I never felt his hand touch my face and hair for hours after I had already fallen asleep. But I still smiled. Because his words gave me hope that regardless of what came our way, all of us would make it.

"**I…I think I can even accept the idea of you being mine."**

* * *

A bit sappy at the end, but I figured some of the Xannah/Hiei folks I've seen leaving reviews would like it. It's been over 20 chapters already! I believe a little sappiness is acceptable at that point.

Molly is that mysterious OC I've mentioned before! Bwahaha. Or is she? Hmm…hope you enjoy her either way.

Happy Halloween :)


	23. Rise above this

Chapter 23: Rise above this

* * *

"Xannah?"

I heard the soft feminine voice call my name as if it was far away. Mumbling, I curled against the warmth besides me, wanting to just go back to sleep. Then I heard the sliding door start to open and suddenly I felt cold. My eyes opened quickly, and Hiei was no longer besides me. Just as I sat up, I saw Molly in the doorway. She wore what looked like a man's dress shirt and some simple black pajama bottoms.

"Molly?" She smiled sleepily, timidly, slowly shutting the door behind her as she walked over and sat cross-legged on the futon besides me. Before I could speak, she put a finger to my lips. "I wanted to come and apologize for causing that fight between you and your mom."

I quickly shook my head, "Molly, don't. It's been a long time coming anyways and she's been in a bipolar mood since the day she was born." My friend still looked uncertain, and I smiled around a yawn. "Molly-wolly, don't fret. You still look sad though, what's wrong?" Her eyes met mine before she quickly looked away.

"I just got a call from your mom. Her and your dad got on a plane earlier this morning back to America."

This news didn't surprise me, nor did I feel very bad about it. She had made her choice and I had made mine. I think Molly took my silence the wrong way because she reached out and lightly placed her hand over mine. "It'll be ok, Xannah." I looked up and smiled. "Nah, I'm good. I think it's better this way."

I meant it too.

* * *

_**Well that went well.**_

I smiled to myself a little as Hiei spoke to me from across the way. I was sitting in the sitting room where Genkai kept her TV, sipping some tea and sitting around with Genkai, Molly, and Yukina. **It definitely could've gone worse. Luckily she doesn't pry. **

_**Do you even care if she does or not?**_

I smirked softly to myself as I sipped some more tea. **Not particularly. But I don't feel like being asked to define our relationship when even I don't know how to put it to words. **He agreed with me simply from the tendrils of his thoughts. Yeah, that would be a bit of a doozy. But then he made a very important point. _**What does it matter if we define it or not? It is what it is.**_

**Good point. **

I tend to overthink and overanalyze things to death. I can't help myself, and it just seems to be one of those things that will always be the same and never change. To distract myself to thinking about other things, I focused more on what was going through his mind. Honing in, I could almost feel the bark beneath my hands, the scent of the earth and wilds around me filling my nose…sometimes just focusing on Hiei's view of nature made me mellow.

A soft snort came through our link. _**Perhaps you should join me for a change.**_

I thought about it as Genkai began to channel surf. And ya know what…why not?

"Xannah?" Molly looked up as I suddenly stood up, slipping out of the sliding rice paper door. I think she went to start after me, and I almost stopped when I heard a soft, Irish tinted voice come from across the room.

"Leave her. He's summoned for her, so she'll go to him." Jin…

I glanced over my shoulder at him. He still looked worse for wear, but at least he was standing up and walking. There were bandages wrapped around his neck and torso and his upper arms. A tiny bandage was at the corner of his mouth as well…and his blue eyes looked almost as sad as his droopy ears.

But…he also looked accepting.

"Go," he murmured.

And so I did.

I slipped outside, to the front. I didn't have to look behind me to know Touya and Rinku were atop the roof, keeping watch over everything. Using Hiei's thoughts as guidance, I jogged towards the tree he was in. Near the gates_**, **_keeping watch over the main entrance. I barely reached the base when I felt myself being lifted up. Well, with the velocity and such it felt more like I got tossed into the air.

Next thing I know, I'm sitting tucked against Hiei's chest, in between his legs with my back to him. I think we both froze at the intimacy of the position, but Hiei didn't move and neither did I. The tree trunk was comfortable enough to fit us both, and the leafs created a light green light around us. After a moment, I gave a small chuckle, and his answering snort broke the awkwardness between us as our thoughts meshed into a more comfortable harmony.

"Do you think Diego will be back any time soon?"

I know this wasn't the first time I had asked Hiei this question, but I couldn't help it.

"More then likely," he said. "If he went through all that manpower and trouble to come to Japan, he'll be back. It's simply a matter of strategizing and planning."

"Yeah…" My voice came out softer then I originally intended, and Hiei very subtly held me a little tighter to him. To an outsider looking in, it wouldn't look like we were doing much. But to us, this was all a part of the dance that was…well, our own.

My thoughts couldn't help but stray back to Jin, and my heart sank a little. I didn't even know where to start with the red head. I mean…it was so hard to try and even begin. I like Jin. I like him a lot, but it's not the same as with Hiei. Hiei and I have a deeper connection, one that won't just go away over night. And even if we figured out a way to disconnect our minds…would we actually do it?

That became the big question.

* * *

Sorry for the shortness of the chapter but I once again need help from my lovelies!

I need ideas again, please and thank you. If I don't get any good ideas within the next few weeks, I'm going to do an extended time skip.


	24. Animals

Chapter 24: Animals

Note: Some suggestive sexual themes up ahead!

* * *

"_Attention passengers, the captain is ready to begin our departure to California. Please fasten your seatbelts, and thank you for choosing Yokohama Airline and Transportation services…"_

"Finally," muttered Karmen under her breath. Her and Chris had been sitting in the plane with the other passengers for the last two hours while technicians had to fix a minor short circuiting problem in the cockpit. They wouldn't allow anyone to leave the flight, since the problem had initially been considered minor…which then turned into a 'minor' problem of two hours' worth of labor.

Frankly, the older woman was annoyed.

Pissed even. But mainly annoyed.

"Easy," muttered Chris under his breath. In his Mr. Bubbles T-shirt, some faded blue jeans, and his dark green Converses. He was one of those adults who never grew out of his wonder years. But with the gentle, kind features and the air about him that drew small children and innocent animals towards him like sheep to a shepherd…well, he was one of those people it was just hard to dislike.

Karmen, however, was one of those that you either loved her passionately or hated her.

Or in a few cases, both.

She wore a tasteful navy blue blouse that looked expensive but was really from a bargain bin in downtown Billings. Her jeans were dark, and her heels were dark blue come-fuck-me pumps. Around her neck was a dark silver chain with blue rhinestones littering its length. Her short blonde hair was a tad spiked, but that was from lack of sleep more than it was any of the dozen hair care products she had in her suitcase.

Chris placed his hand over her knee, watching as the blonde slowly glanced out of the corner of her eye at him. Good. He got recognition at least instead of her normal stony silence. She had been about as talkative as a mute since she got back from the attack on the temple. Without their Xannah.

And now…now they were going home alone.

"You did what you could. But she's a big girl and she made her choice."

"Doesn't matter," she muttered darkly, crossing her arms as she leaned back into the seat, shrugging off his hand. "I spent most of my life watching my mother kill things like that Hiei guy for even looking at her wrong. Now it's like she's collecting a whole harem of oddly colored pretty boys."

Xannah's father sighed as the plane began to move, slowly rolling down the run way and steadily picking up speed to take flight. "She's legal to do practically whatever she wants. If she wants to join your mother's 'harem' as you call it, she can." He couldn't help but roll his eyes when Karmen's eyes shot back to his, wide and scandalized.

"Christopher!"

"Oh Karm get over it. There's nothing you can do about it and if you try forcing yourself onto her, she'll end up hating you." Going quiet, Karmen scowled and turned her head away. Chris smiled. This in itself was a small victory.

"Perhaps I can help you two."

Both adults turned their heads. Across the aisle was a man who had been reading a newspaper since the two had gotten on the plane. Turning a page, he finally set it down so his face was seen, and he smiled benignly at the couple. His fingers were long, like a pianist's, and his eyes were a deep, dark hue. The color so dark it was hard to explain exactly what it was. He was dressed in an impeccable black pinstripe suit with dress shoes so glossy you could eat off them.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but mind your own business," hissed Karmen lowly to the man so as not to bring attention to them from the other passengers. The man smiled.

A smile so wrong, so inhuman, it gave the human Christopher a small start.

All of his teeth were shark like fangs.

"I don't believe I was going to give you a choice. You see, if you two don't do as I say, everyone on this plane is going to die."

* * *

I shivered. A hard, full on bodily tremble that aptly fit the expression "someone walking over your grave". It was later in the afternoon, and everyone was still on high alert after yesterday's events. None of the demons had gone back to the Demon World, and Koenma himself had even popped on by to see how things were going on the home front.

And to see how Hiei and I's little…"problem" was coming along.

"Still as strong as ever," announced the prince. The three of us were sitting in front of him in the dojo in the traditional Japanese style, awaiting to see what his probing would find. No kinks, no weakness, though it appeared the maximum amount of distance between us was starting to shrink. Only by a few hundred feet, but still. It would be bothersome should it continue that way, and I couldn't very well have bat boy follow me to my classes.

A mental image of him leading me around on a leash made my whole face turn red out of no where, and a mental snicker from his end soon followed. _**Foolish girl**_.

**Whatever **I muttered in reply, trying to shove him out of my head, only to have him dance around such a defensive tactic. **I doubt people would approve of such a thing anyways, so don't be going and getting any ideas.** His answer was his ever popular "Hn".

"Since it seems the connection is only going to increase with time, it worries me what happens when the amount of distance allowed between you two becomes a problem." Koenma looked from Hiei, then to me.

"Well, how bad could it really be?" I couldn't help but ask. "I mean, it's been a while and it's only going by a few feet every other day. I'm sure something will come up before it becomes too big of a problem." At least, that's what I hoped. At this point, the connection itself was no longer a problem. It was the fact that soon we'd have figure out a way around our ever decreasing AOE (area of effect for you non gamer geeks).

"Hard to say. I've never seen anything like this, nor has my father or anyone else I've consulted in the Spirit World. I do have a few theories however."

"Go on." Hiei's voice was a low monotone, but I could sense a tendril of curiosity.

"For starters, this whole mind link between you two happened after Hiei used his Jagan to pull you out of the Second State the night that Jory attacked. My first theory is that something went wrong and the Jagan never fully let go of the temporary link to your mind." He paused, waiting to see what Hiei and I had to say on this.

When neither of us agreed or disagreed, he continued.

"Secondly, in relation to the first theory but the other way around. Your mind, Xannah, never fully let go of Hiei's."

"She lacks the spiritual and mental capacity for that. She's a human," Hiei bluntly stated. "I doubt any normal human mind could match to that of the Jagan's."

I _tried_ not to take any of that offensively. Though the tone he used made me feel like I was mentally insufficient. Geez, way to make a girl feel loved bat boy. Koenma simply shrugged, "Again, like I said, all theories. Though it wouldn't surprise me if maybe the connection was…well, mutual. I mean, you both came from fairly rough pasts and-" He began to babble on. And I lost the thread of the conversation.

'Fairly rough pasts' didn't even scrape the tip of the ice burg for Hiei and I.

My mind, once again, dive bombed into things that were probably best left alone.

* * *

**It was hard to tell if we were driving for hours or just a few minutes. The only thing that felt like it was keeping Xannah grounded and sane was the tiny warmth of the little girl's hand in her own. Besides the softly exchanged greeting, the rest of the car was quiet. Occasionally Diego would play with a lock of Kaylee's hair, or try to touch Xannah. She would shy away from such advances, and was shocked when he didn't act aggressively or violently.**

**With Kaylee in the car, he seemed to be watching himself.**

**At the time, Xannah didn't realize the connection between the two. They looked nothing alike. Shared no similar traits or gestures. Later, she'd dwell on the subject more, and would come to the conclusion they had the same left dimple when they laughed.**

**When the limo stopped at it's final destination, Xannah looked up to see a large, spacious house. It looked like a type of stone structure from colonial times. Very rectangular with square windows dotting every other foot, and dark red shutters. The stones were deep browns, burgundies, and greys, and no one stone was shaped the same way. There were flower beds that were wilted and dead for lack of care despite the warm sunshine. However, there wasn't a weed in sight.**

**Come to think of it, there were no trees or shrubbery within a few hundred yards of the place. Unless you considered the grass.**

"**Go in." Xannah gave a small start, turning her head, starting to tremble when Diego's face was so close to her own. He could've kissed me…and probably would have if Kaylee hadn't had been sitting on Xannah's other side.**

**Kaylee beamed up towards Diego before opening the limo door and bounding outside, letting out happy yips and cries of joy as she rolled about on the grass. The elderly limo driver simply stood on by, watching the child with soft but shrewd eyes.**

**As soon as Kaylee left the car, he slammed the door before Xannah could get out, abruptly grabbing her wrists. Before she knew it, he was straddling her, having to bow his torso since the car ceiling wasn't high enough. Her wrists pinned above her head, he spoke lowly, almost tenderly, into her ear.**

"**There are some rules you'll need to keep in mind when living under my roof, Sunshine. First, always do what I say when I say it." He paused, waiting until she rapidly nodded her head before continuing.**

"**Secondly, never go down into the basement. And last but not least…if I ever find out you tried to escape or contact the outside world, I will make your existence a miserable one indeed." **

**He looked at her, almost scrutinizing her features as she tried her best not to have to look at him. There was nothing human in his eyes when he looked at her. It was frightening.**

**He shoved her back onto the car seat again, reaching over to quickly press auto lock so all the doors were locked from the inside with a soft, ominous 'click'.**

* * *

Sorry for the delay, and hope you enjoyed this chapter! College, moving into my first apartment, all that jazz. Thanks you everyone who helped me with ideas for this chapter! You guys rock.

Oh, and happy birthday to Going Wrong in the Right Way. **  
**


	25. Hero of War

Chapter 25: Hero of War

* * *

"You can't be serious."

See, Hiei gets this little bite to his voice when he's surprised. Sometimes it almost sounds like a "fuck-you-you're-an-idiot" tone that most take instant offense to (namely, Kuwabara). But sitting in the privacy of my room, him leaning against the wall and me sitting on my still messy futon, his thoughts flowed more freely, and it was very obvious his true emotions behind the words.

Well, to me it was obvious.

"They have a point," I said, unable to hold back a frustrated sigh. I didn't like it anymore then he did. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay here, despite the possibility of Diego coming around again. Hiei was quiet for a moment, still simmering. See, if I had to go, so did Hiei. Or we'd both be in a huge world of hurt as well as super migraines from hell.

Hiei, stubborn as he was, had to find that out the hard way.

He and Kurama were still on stiff terms because of that. Neither of whom got into that topic around me and Hiei was careful to avoid thinking about it.

"Sending you…_us_ to the Spirit World, leaves us open and vulnerable. It's not as protected as Koenma would hope, and your grandmother knows that." He gauged my reaction and thoughts for a few seconds before continuing. "Kurama and I have broken into Spirit World on more than one occasion, and so have others." Something along the lines of "golden seal" flashed through his mind, and before I could ask it was gone again.

"But she knows that it's just as dangerous keeping us here. The time for peace is gone now, and it ended as soon as I walked up those steps." Frustrated, annoyed, and feeling so helpless the womanly side of me wanted to bawl, I scrambled up from my messy futon, heading over to my little dresser, finding something better to change into. Anything to keep my hands busy. Hiei watched me, his thoughts mostly blank.

My mind was going a million a minute and I almost felt bad that he had to receive my shitty frequency.

"Xannah-"

"Look, we both know why you're frustrated Hiei. You hate feeling like you're caged and now your fate will be determined whether you like it or not. Because short of one of us dying or this connection dissipating, we go where the other goes." There was a rustle, and I heard him approach me from behind. Standing so close I could feel him breathing. I took off my shirt to change, trying to pretend he wasn't there. I ignored him and he knew it.

He waited until I had on a clean shirt before he grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

We looked at each other for a long moment.

There was tension. Mental, sexual, physical, and emotional. Torn between what we knew would be safe, what we both wanted, and what the other person wanted. His stare was hard but I stood my ground as I looked down at him. I wasn't about to back down, and my thoughts and body language made that clear.

His hands abruptly dropped from my shoulders and then he vanished.

* * *

"_**Xannah, do you want to play with me?"**_

_**Xannah had been sitting at the bay window, staring out towards the forest. Her deep eyes clouded in thought while still maintaining a level of blankness that had never fully gone away since she was taken. Physically, she was in good health. The driver that had brought them here also served as a cook, house keeper, and the security guard. He made sure her and Kaylee ate well and took care of themselves.**_

_**And since being here, if she wasn't keeping Kaylee occupied or being ravished by Diego, she was sitting at the same bay window downstairs. Just…staring.**_

"_**Hm?"**_

"_**Play with me?"**_

_**Kaylee wore a cute little sundress that went to her knees and was a little frayed at the edges. It was something Xannah had stumbled across when she was helping Edgar (the 'all service man') clean the attic. It fit her well, and gave her more room to run and play.**_

_**Rising up, dusting off her pant legs, she wordlessly followed Kaylee up to her room.**_

_**Edgar stared after them all the while.**_

* * *

"You're being quiet."

I looked up from where I had been staring at my cup of tea, sitting slumped at Genkai's kitchen table. She was standing in the doorway, her arms behind her back as she watched me. Her gaze was deep, searching, and more and more lately I focused on her eyes when I looked at my grandmother.

I could see her cataracts. And it scared me.

I idly rubbed at my scar, feeling the soft ridges of the skin, feeling the roughness that normally would never be there. "I'm just…thinking. About going to Spirit World."

"No you're not."

My head snapped up as she sat across from me, pouring her on cup of tea.

"You're thinking about how going to Spirit World will affect your relationship with Hiei."

"I can't help it," I blurted without really meaning too. "I mean, hell, things are complicated enough as it is. And now with Diego here in Japan…" Her eyes went to mine as I trailed off. And after some lingering silence she let out a soft sigh. "There's no use dwelling on it. Whatever happens happens, but the first priority with everyone is that you stay _alive_. And Hiei, whether he likes it or not, is in the best position to take care of you."

"You make it sound like he's my babysitter."

A faint, humorless smirk graced her lips. "He is in many ways, some of which I'm sure he doesn't even realize yet. But the fact of the matter is Xannah, you're a wanted woman. One of the biggest crime lords in the Human World wants to make you pay for toppling over half of his empire overnight. And he'll do what he can to get his hands on you."

I snorted. "I know this already-"

"Then act like it," she snapped and my eyes narrowed her way. More silence descended upon us, both of us were kind of glaring at one another and this continued as poor unfortunate Yusuke decided to walk in. "Hey Genkai do you have a-" He stopped, looking at the both of us. He turned almost immediately and left the room, grumbling about "crazy old lady and her spawn". Knowing him, he'd come back in a few minutes.

I stood up from the table, taking my empty teacup as I did and moving to the sink. "Just because I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off doesn't mean I'm not taking this whole thing seriously."

Genkai shifted in her chair, the legs of the chair giving a soft squeak. "No, but this has gone beyond just affecting you. We're all a part of this now. And I have no doubt that Diego is somewhere trying to gather as much information as possible on all of us. If they haven't already. And if those demon associates of his were anything to go by, he'll have easy access to demonic information as well."

When I didn't answer her, she continued.

"All of our techniques, access to footage from the Dark Tournament and the Demon World Tournament…at his fingertips." She sat up, taking her cup with her as she walked past me. "Think about that instead of your love life."

Once she was gone, the only thing I could think of in response was: What love life?

* * *

"You're being quiet."

"Jin?"

I had been sitting in the center courtyard, a sea salt flavored ice cream in my hand. I had come out here shortly after Genkai and I had finished talking. Hiei wasn't responding to me, and was training a few hundred yards into the woods. In his own little world and I did my best to get submerged into my own.

And now Jin was here.

He was leaning against the fragile doorway, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. He was healing nicely, some thin gauze around his chest and a bandage or two on his neck and on his cheek. His clothes were still bloody and so he had to wear human clothes. And all he wore were jeans.

I did my very best to keep my thoughts nice and appropriate. However, Hiei still kind of snarled my way, a sheepish mental smile sent his way in return.

He sat himself down besides me, his elbows resting on his knees as the both of us simply gazed out into the silence. I would occasionally bring the slowly melting treat to my lips to lick at it, but otherwise all was still.

"…How are your wounds healing?"

"They be fine. Yours?"

"Just a scrape or two." He looked at me. I could see it from my peripheral. But I didn't dare look back. I think he could sense that and he lightly touched my shoulder.

"Xannah…I'm not cross with ya or nuthin'," he said quietly. "It just…happened, eh?" I took a moment…and sighed. Reaching over to lightly place my hand over his and give it a soft squeeze, I closed my eyes.

This sucked. Epically. I felt like such a bitch for having done this to him (however inadvertently), and the guilt continued to nag at me even though…well, technically I didn't have anything to really feel guilty about. Jin and I had never even kissed or had made our interest known. No boundaries had been set. No…anything.

Exactly.

I ignored Hiei for the time being and his smugness as I refocused on Jin. He merely looked at me for a few moments more before Yusuke was calling his name. And without another word Jin took to the skies.

* * *

This is Xannah kinda getting closure with Jin…kinda. From this point on I want to focus more on Hiei and Xannah and their dynamic. With college in full swing I've been rather busy and still struggling with writer's block. I can't guarantee that useless scenes and fluff won't be present. But the more Xannah's darker past is revealed the more things will pick up.


	26. Near To You

Chapter 26: Near to You

**Note**: After a brief hiatus, I am ready to return to writing. Thanks to everyone who has been so patient, and all the love and support for my stories is always greatly appreciated.

Bold faced text is flashbacks, underlines are Hiei's thoughts, and bold italics are Xannah's for those of you needing clarification on this.

The first part of the chapter will be in third person, then back to Xannah in first person.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the attack on the temple. Needless to say, security had not decreased and most were still on edge. Due to the amount of obligations everyone had in their regular day to day lives, the 'security' was done in rotations. Kurama, Jin, Rinku, Kuwabara, and Chu mainly took the evening shift while Yusuke, Touya, Shi-Shi (when he managed to step away from his fans), and Genkai took the day and night shifts. Hiei, of course, was on constant rotation.

For the obvious and some not so obvious reasons.

He had taken to following Xannah to classes. Staying on top of her college buildings and in trees and either watching her or following the threads of her thoughts and keeping tabs. He could think of worst jobs to do, like actual babysitting. This? Consider it…bonding time.

_**Do you have -any- idea how creepy it sounds for you to consider this bonding?**_

His snort was all she got in reply.

Rolling her eyes, she focused her gaze front and center. Nutrition, as nice as the professor was, was very dull. Almost all the answers could easily be found in the text, and the rest could be Google'd. In fact, most of her homework answers were just reworded from Google searches. Did she feel shame? Nope. Not a single fuck was given as long as she wasn't plagiarizing and got a good grade.

I could think of much worse things then 'plagarizing'.

_**Something worse then babysitting? Le gasp! Say it isn't so!**_

I am not past punishing you for slighting me.

_**Don't threaten me with a good time, Hiei.**_

She smirked to herself at the brief second of beflusterment she imposed on his inner processes. But he got her back…in a very mean, cruel way (although deliciously so). Image after image was suddenly flung towards her consciousness. Strong, potent, and making her a little dizzy from flickering between the real world around her and the images plaguing her mind. Professor Takashi didn't seem to notice, as she continued droning about what happens to starving children in Africa and other third world countries with horrid nutrition.

While she was busy moving from calcium deficiency to beriberi, Xannah was shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

_**HIEI! You do -not- do those kind of things with cooking utensils!**_

I could use a vegetable if your delicate sensibilities are so insulted.

Ooo the wickedness! Xannah crossed her arms, slinking lower into her seat and making her gaze stay glued upon the professor before her. Crossing her legs, uncrossing, and then recrossing…she felt like she had ants in her pants.

Worst things then ants have been in your-

The backlash he got was enough to jostle him. The close range of their connection intensifying thoughts and feelings between them. While her Second State was still sealed (for now), the odd mental strength still lingered. And it seemed to increase a little more day by day. Her backlashing was like the physical equivalent of a shove or a hard punch in the arm…and was painful in that weak, annoyingly human way.

In retaliation, he did another bout. But he changed his strategy. Kurama's words from the other day of "a little kindness goes a long way" suddenly came to mind. Not that he'd ever let the pain know that he was right (there has only ever been a small handful of times and VERY special circumstances), but the advice was acknowledged.

The change of Xannah's mental thoughts softened at the thoughts he sent her way. A quiet, peaceful afternoon nestled in one of the trees around Genkai's temple. When a twinge of worry at the thought of another ambush clouded the images he was giving her, he silenced them with a grumpy little growl. If she didn't appreciate his attempts to be cordial he was going to take a wooden spoon or his scabbard over her bottom.

The American did indeed quiet, and relaxed at the scene of serenity.

Hiei, perched up on the roof right above the classroom where Xannah was, rested his hands behind his head, allowing his eyes to close with a smirk.

Damn he was good.

* * *

I had to hand it to bat boy…he had his moments.

I was walking through the halls, back to the outside world and still pondering over the simple but still thoughtful gesture of his. Only one out of maybe every eight times would he take advantage of an opportunity for us to be alone together. He still very much appreciated his solitude, but over the years he seemed to become more accustomed to company (Kurama's words, not mine).

As long as that company didn't entail Kuwabara or Chuu.

Pushing open the doors out of the General Science building, I started making my way across campus and out towards the main street. Hiei had already made his way ahead of me, perched under the shade of a overhang. It was my normal day to meet up with Kuwabara and Kurama for coffee, and batboy was going to join us. Not that he really had any choice buuuut…yeah. It was fun to have him think he did.

Shut up.

I smiled cheekily to myself. He'd survive; the café was usually quiet at this time of the day while all the college kids went home to study and work on their various projects and the like. But not I! I was an American genius. This was one of those moments where Hiei tried to be a jackass and to which I pointedly ignored him.

I walked past the overhang, and didn't have to look over to feel batboy besides me. I could practically feel his aura through the material of my hoodie, which only made me shove my hands deeper into my pockets. He glanced at me and then kept his eyes forward, thoughts carefully blank and devoid. Step by step we made our way down the street and over a few crosswalks before making our way into the small café.

The little establishment was quaint. It gave one the feel of a small garden party in some ol' English garden. The tables were wrought iron vines and roses and painted white, with matching stools and chairs with fluffy cushions on the bottom that provided some kind of comfort. Kurama and Kuwabara were already there in the back, school clothes on and a textbook or two spread out before them. The little nerds.

"'Sup kids?" I chirped as I pulled up a chair besides Kuwabara, leaving Hiei to be sandwiched between Kurama and I. Oooorrrr he could stand there, standing was good too. Kurama flashed up a soft smile of greeting, but Kuwabara didn't even look up from whatever problem he was working on. Nervously chewing on the end of his already degraded pen and deep in his own realm of concentration. I saw Hiei glance to Kuwabara and then down at a cookie on a plate before the carrot top. Look to him…then the cookie.

_**Hiei. **_My tone was a warning one. _**If you really want something I'll get it for you but don't take his-**_

Too late. Super fast reflexes found Hiei sitting there with a cookie in two hands and nibbling on it like a mouse. Kuwabara didn't even look up. For now, I guess one of two cookies missing wasn't so terrible a loss…

I spoke too soon. There went the next cookie, gone in a flash.

"Any incidents at school today?" asked Kurama pleasantly, looking my way and pretending that the intending eruption wasn't about to go down between Hiei and Kuwabara when everyone's favorite psychic realized my boyfriend pilfered his snacks.

And Hiei gave not one single fuck. And was proud of it too.

"Nope," I responded with ease. Holding up two fingers to the cute little English styled waitress that passed us. She knew us, and knew what we wanted, and needed no further prompting as she headed to fulfill our order. "How about you?" I asked him as I adjusted my elbows on the table. "Any strange feelings or voodoo vibes or any of that shit?"

"Your vocabulary is as eloquent as Yusuke's," he responded. I grimaced. That was a very, VERY subtle insult. "But no, nothing on my end nor on Kuwabara's. We talked to Yukina just before you two arrived, and nothing new has occurred at the temple either. There's always the chance they have retreated until further notice, or-"

"They're probably planning something." Kuwabara continued to scribble away without looking up.

"What gives you that idea?" I asked.

"Just a feeling I got in the pit of my stomach is all."

"Hn. He's a fool for many reasons, but the even bigger fools are the ones that don't pay attention to Kuwabara's gut instincts." The tea was delivered promptly, and Hiei took a sip without blowing on the surface. Damn fire demon. Kuwabara gave a snort of acknowledgement, but was too into what he was doing to comment further.

I sipped on my tea as well. "So we just…continue what we're doing I guess." I felt bad for the others. What a boring assignment. Nibbling on my lower lip, I looked to Kurama, "Are you sure this is alright for the others to keep coming on guard duty? They have their own lives to lead and all, and it shouldn't all be spent babysitting me." Kurama studied my features for a moment, and I felt my cheeks heating up at the scrutiny.

"Xannah," he began. Oh Gods, a lecture. As if reading my mind (or expression) he added, "No, this isn't a lecture. Genkai has done most of us a great deal of favors. Offering us training, shelter…things of that nature. The least we could do is protect one of the people she holds most beloved in this world."

"That and you've garnered friends and allies among us. We look out for our own whenever we can."

His words soothed me. After Kuwabara realized his cookies were gone, and threats were thrown back and forth between him and Hiei, the four of us departed to go back to Genkai's.

Unbeknownst to us, there had been a man in the far corner of the café. Reading a newspaper with a pinstriped suit.

* * *

"Actually hit me, dammit!"

"Work less on your mouth and more on your focus and precision."

"Why you-!"

I hit the ground running once I got home. Soon as I dropped my things off and went to find a spot to relax, Genkai started dragging me to the dojo and into the clutches of some of the others. Guess what boys and girls? They were going to train me! Yay (insert sarcasm right about…here). And the lucky first goer was going to be…

Koenma?

I didn't know he could even make a fist, much less punch. Didn't he have paperwork to do for daddy dearest? A royal guard? I didn't have much time to question before he lunged at me and I…well. I ran away like a little girl at first, asking him what the hell he was doing and flapping my arms and squawking. I was NO match for the average human male, much less a godling. The extent of my abilities were all locked up and sealed away, but that wasn't stopping these crazies from coming after me and telling me to dodge and hit them.

How the hell am I going to do that when I can't go nearly as fast as they can!?

Another sweeping kick was headed my way, something rudimentary overall but Koenma's long legs in his adult form were keeping me on my toes. I tried to rush at him, psych him out with a ruse punch to the gut, and instead aimed for my free hand to right hook him in the jaw. I barely nicked him before he glided backwards. Before I could continue, the godling got out of the way. Now Jin came in, all floaty and the like, and rushed me.

When I went to duck my head and roll out of the way, I brushed against the wind gusts he was using to keep himself afloat. With a yelp, they sent me sailing backwards. With an 'oof!', I ended up rolling into one of the dojo pillars and slumping with a little groan. My side was throbbing, I was pissed off, and all I had wanted was just to sit back and relax for a few minutes when I got home…damn these people.

"Alright, I think we're good." Genkai decided to step forward, in all her fucking sagely wisdom, and moved towards me. I glared up at her, my chest still rising and falling slightly from the earlier exertions, and I snapped, "Was all this really necessary?"

"Yes, actually, it was. I needed to test how strong your Second State was sealed in a situation where you may have felt threatened and had to defend yourself. It held itself up, as we can all see…but for how long? And in a situation with that crime lord…" I was glaring at her all the while.

"I'm not appreciating this!" I huffed. "Isn't there another way we can do this? Like, meditation, tap into my inner mojo and see if I can move a paperweight with my mind." Jin was floating upside down above my head, "Oi, if'n e'erythin' was tha' simple!"

Yeah, if only.

* * *

Thanks for all the support, loves, reviews, and encouragement!


	27. Amaryllis

Chapter 27: Amaryllis

Note: I will be switching between first and third person from time to time from here on out.

* * *

_Earlier in Chapter 26…_

As Kurama, Xannah, Hiei, and Kuwabara left the café, the man in the pinstripe suit turned another page of the newspaper. The waitress came by to refill his cup, and as she did so he let out a low chuckle. Shifting the paper as the woman glanced up curiously.

"Reading the funnies?" She teased.

"Every page is the funnies page," he replied in his low, smooth voice. She giggled and continued on her way. He watched her for with a snort.

"Foolish human girl."

"You shouldn't give humans such little credit, Hikaru. You were one once after all." The rich, smooth voice came from slightly behind the male, from another male in a dark grey turtle neck and slacks that showed his lean, long form even as he seated himself at one of the little tables. When the waitress sauntered over to get his order as well, he waved her off.

Hikaru turned the page of the paper once more. Calamity, wars, political strife…same thing, just a different day of the week for mortals. Silence settled between the two, no other sound in the little café besides some students in the corner celebrating the end of their finals and an older couple quietly conversing over their cups of tea.

Hikaru was the first to break the silence.

"Any new developments in your plans?"

"I wouldn't exactly say 'new' but-Ah! Here he is." A taller, older gentleman came into the café now. Wearing a somewhat out of place cowboy hat atop his head. Diegos rose up to greet him, and was met with silence. Hikaru pivoted around in his chair to get a better look.

"Hikaru, I would like you to meet an old college classmate of mine: Kenneth, an American from the westernmost States."

* * *

"Gah!"

Roll, dodge, pant, hide behind a pillar, jump for cover, then repeat.

This was what I would do every other day after classes when I got home. It was always someone new, or a new style incorporated into their fighting. After Jin and Koenma that first day, it was Kurama and Yusuke. Then Rinku and Genkai. Each day the sessions would last a few minutes longer, get a little more intense. When it seemed like I couldn't continue to the next level, they'd keep things there.

In short, they weren't preparing me for combat.

No.

They were building my stamina so I could survive long enough for someone to come to aide.

No one said it in so many words but it was essentially what they were doing. To truly defend myself would mean unlocking the Second State and leaving things to chance and fate. I didn't know how to control it, and it became more and more apparent to me it wasn't something you exactly controlled.

It was more like having a berserker beast in my body. Something dark. Primal. The longer it stayed locked within me the more I began to 'feel' it. How it grew restless, wanting to be released. I could tell Hiei would feel it too. Whenever it got particularly agitated, his connection would become a little more open to my own. As if to show me and this energy that we were not alone.

But it was taking its toll on him.

I noticed it got particularly worse at night. It was a regular occurrence for me to wake up in a cold sweat, or in tears, or in some other form or fashion similar to the above. Sometimes Hiei would be there, sometimes he wouldn't. But I was never alone for long. If Hiei wasn't there, then there would be Genkai. Treading with her tiny, bare feet and peeking within to make sure I was alright. She never spoke to me, and I never spoke to her, but the subliminal message was received all the same.

She was here for me.

Hiei's presence in my head was always there (a given regardless), but now we were used to one another. He didn't try as hard to hide some of his thoughts. In fact, he seemed to be amused by some of what I came across. My expressions when we were near one another he found to be too amusing to pass up. The little shit. I sometimes wanted to strangle him. Other times…

The opposite.

He knew it and would use it to his advantage, though not with malicious intent.

Even now. He would fling mental images that would distract me, and I couldn't focus. My mind would get fuzzy and unfocused, and I nearly got nicked by Chuu's high kick. Then came Hiei, sword flashing in the dim lighting of the dojo. I went to jump back…

And landed right against a pillar.

"Time!"

The katana stopped right before it pierced my T shirt. I was panting, my brain racing and my body covered in rivulets of sweat while Chuu and Hiei looked no worse than as if they were just going on a morning stroll. My evil stare was aimed towards Hiei, hoping that he internally combusted and ran off screaming in total agony. He wasn't even looking at me, sheathing his blade with barely anymore then a flick of his wrist.

Genkai strolled over, her gaze resting on me.

"Did you see your mistake?"

My eyes narrowed onto Hiei. Glowering. Genkai followed my gaze.

"Hiei, if you're not going to take these exercises seriously then you can get out of my dojo."

He could care less either way, honestly. It was one of the flaws of his character: His arrogance. He didn't believe that I would be left alone in a situation like this with ease. Not like last time. He was too confident in the idea that he or one of the others would always be readily on hand. Himself especially.

However, as he strode from the dojo without a word to my grandmother, he did send one more mental image my way.

My hands above my head, my training outfit of a shirt and shorts clawed too pieces and hanging haphazardly over me. My back against the wall, one leg propped over his shoulder as he dove down-

"XANNAH!"

"WHAT!?"

"Just go take a fucking shower! You smell like a bitch in heat." Genkai growled.

* * *

"I fucking hate you."

"Hn."

I was bathing in relative comfort. Hiei outside the tub, sitting cross-legged on the floor while he was mending a crack in his sheathe. His thoughts calm, and remarkably more tamed then before. Me? I was still red in the face, and not just from the steam. I could still hear Chuu snickering all the way out of the fucking dojo.

I turned my head to shoot him another look he tastefully ignored. "I'm serious! Did you have to be so _graphic_!? I swear, I can't exactly be subtle when you shoot thoughts like that towards me. It's just not-MMPH!"

He was kissing me. I don't know when he even got up from sitting and was leaning over me, but he was doing it. His thoughts and mine quickly lashing against one another with heat, a soft sound passing my lips that he quickly muffled by hardening his mouth against my own and swallowing the noises that came through. More mental images were assaulted at my senses like before, only heightened. I was nearly choking, I needed…I needed…

He had grabbed me by the waist, hoisting me up onto the edge of the bathtub. Hands flying all over me: Over my stomach, my sides, with one hand fisting harshly into my hair and the other gripping at my throat. Making me breathless and lightheaded as my own hands dove down the front of his leggings.

Needless to say, Hiei and I did not attend dinner that evening.

Or breakfast the next morning.

* * *

"How are you holding up?"

"Urameshi. Drop i'."

It was earlier in the morning, dew still clinging to the grass and the sun having just barely brushed past the tree line. It was one of the quietest times of day, when most were still asleep and others just waking up. Yusuke and Jin had been working night watch, and their shift was almost up. Next was Shi-Shi and Shizuka for morning watch. The night had been mostly silent, except for some conversing between the two.

From time to time Yusuke would tentatively try to press for how Jin was feeling, to which the wind demon would avoid or shrug off. Or even try to joke about.

But Yusuke knew when he was lying.

At one point they were indoors, patrolling the halls. Making sure everything was either locked up or closed, and then came the central bedrooms. Yusuke tried to steer Jin away from patrolling that particular hall, but Jin didn't get the hint. Halfway down, past Genkai's room, and Yukina's, and the spare room Yusuke sometimes utilized, came Xannah's.

There came a sound.

One that made Jin stop short and falter for just the briefest second.

It was unmistakably Hiei…who had groaned one word. A name. Xannah.

Yusuke was tensed, ready to get Jin out of there bodily if he had too. But the red head just turned and continued walking onwards. Checking the other rooms, with Yusuke slowly following afterwards. Now, they were outside, hours later, and Yusuke had rarely ever seen Jin so quiet.

"Jin, talk to me, man. Seriously."

"Yeh evah thin' o' Keiko wit' someone else, Urameshi?"

The question gave Yusuke pause, some of which attributed to confusion. "No, actually. Can't say I have. We've known each other ever since we were kids, and have kinda just always…been together." Saying it out loud like that made him grimace. It sounded so…lame. He rubbed the back of his head, leaning against a beam while Jin was hovering idly back and forth around the grass in front of him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Does theh vereh though' make yeh steam ah theh ears an' foam outta theh mouth?"

"Well yeah." Duh.

Jin went quiet again. Thoughtful. His ears were also no where to be found.

Yusuke didn't take it as a good sign.

* * *

Didn't think I forgot about Jin, didja?! And Xannah's friend is still around too, don't worry!


End file.
